Once Upon A Dream
by MrsMusicAddict
Summary: Cara has lost almost everything in her life, and she wonders what it would be like to be on The Vampire Diaries. She adores Damon and Kol, and likes to fantasize about them fighting over her. She knows that won't ever happen. She's average and due to her disease she doesn't have much energy. But of course, she is allowed to dream.. (Damon)/Kol/OC - Story really begins in chapter 2!
1. I Have A Dream

**I have a dream**

Cara woke up at 10:30 in the morning, feeling exhausted. She opened her eyes and checked her phone first. She had a text from the bank, saying her total was increased by one hundred. Immediately a smile spread across her face, and her heart felt warm with love. Her awesome boyfriend felt so bad for her, not being able to pay for her Nathaniel Meeting Room, that he transferred part of the money, giving her the chance to go anyway. At the thought of Nate, her heart skipped a beat. She absolutely loved him. Not in the way she loved her boyfriend, of course not. She didn't even know Nate, and she wouldn't be seeing him for the first time until next month! Thinking about the convention made her stomach flutter with nerves. How was she ever going to get through that? Ian, Paul, Candice, Matt and Nate… She was going to make a fool out of herself.

'No,' she said. 'I cannot let myself think like that. I have to be strong, and be convinced that I can do this. Sure I can ask Nate for a kiss, and Ian for a hug. Dozens of girls do that every time, so why not me?'

She sat up, and felt her body pulling her down. A bad day, wonderful. Luckily she didn't have to do much today, but it still sucked. She sighed and put on a robe, to go downstairs and get a drink.

When she got back upstairs she put on her TV and her laptop, sighing when seeing her Kol-background pop up. He was so beautiful. 'Too bad he can't be mine,' she muttered. Quickly she covered her mouth. She had a boyfriend! She can't be thinking like this! '_Not that he would even like me_,' she thought sadly. She checked her mail and put her laptop away again, not letting herself dwell in misery over something impossible. She grabbed the remote and selected the right episode of The Vampire Diaries season 3. She started rewatching the season after finally knowing who Kol was. She still felt like an idiot not noticing him before, but now she did, and it was a pleasure to finally really see him!

Halfway through the episode she felt her eyelids closing more and more often. 'Fine,' she muttered angrily. 'I'll watch this episode and I'll go to sleep again, even though I am not supposed to.. Stupid rule anyway.' '_Maybe I'll have some awesome Kol dreams.. Who knows?_' She shook her head smiling. Damn, she got it bad.

She slipped under the covers when she had turned off her TV and started fantasizing.. '_A Damon and Kol triangle with me! If it's my dream, it doesn't matter Kol died and that Damon finally got together with Elena, even though that's a long way from a happy ending. It could totally happen!_' She chuckled under her breath, and drifted off to what was going to be a long dream, picturing Damon sitting on the bar at the Mystic Grill…


	2. Is it a Dream?

**Is it a dream?**

Cara grinned. The last thing she pictured was actually the exact thing she was seeing right now. She already liked this dream. She sat down at one of the tables, and just kept staring at Damon, who was downing his bourbon as if it was his last. She wondered if she should go over there, and then she remembered: This was just a dream. Even if she would make a complete fool out of herself, she could wake up! She stood up and walked confidently to the bar.

'Is this seat taken?' she asked. This was the perfect timing to find out if Alaric had died in her dream world.  
'Yes. Yes it is.' Damon replied. So Alaric had died. Too bad, she liked him.

Alarm bells were ringing inside her head, but she ignored them.  
She walked over to his other side, and repeated her question. He looked at her suspiciously and he waved his OK. She sat down and ordered herself a glass of bourbon.

'Aren't you a little young to be drinking? Let alone in the middle of the day?' he asked, eyeing her. She smiled. She forgot that in the States you weren't allowed to drink until you were 21. But hey, this was a dream, remember? It's not like she would get drunk or anything.  
'Where I'm from the age limit is 18, so it's okay,' she smirked at him. 'And the fact that it's the middle of the day doesn't really matter either. This is my dream, so if I won't want to get drunk, I won't.' She shrugged it off. _This is going horrible. You're not supposed to tell him you're dreaming! You're ruining everything! And where is Alaric!? It's your dream, why would you dream he is dead? That doesn't make any sense!_

She got pulled out of her thoughts by Damon's voice. 'What do you mean, a dream?'  
Cara sighed and thought it couldn't get any worse anyway, so she told him. 'Well, I fell asleep after watching this show, The Vampire Diaries, and I drifted off thinking about you here.'

'You're sleeping?' Damon asked sarcastically. 'So, technically, if I would touch you, you wouldn't feel it?' Cara shook her head. 'Nope, I wouldn't.'  
He seemed to muse over that, before he poked her in her side, hard.

'OW! Seriously, Damon, why would you do-' she gasped. She felt that. 'How do you know my name?' 'I told you,' Cara said glaring at him. 'I was thinking about the TV-show, The Vampire Diaries, you're in it. Or at least, back home you are.' She looked at his questioning face. 'You have no idea what I am talking about are you?' He shook his head.

'No, but you are coming with me right now, and you are going to explain all of this. Just not here in public. I think it is obvious you are not dreaming, because no one just pops up here. No one. You don't come to Mystic Falls without a reason, and I want to know yours.'

He pulled her off her seat and dragged her along. '_Please, please, let me wake up! If this is a dream after all, please let me wake up, right now!_'

Of course she didn't wake up, and she got scared. She didn't say anything about the pain Damon was causing her, she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts.

When they finally stopped, Damon looked around, before opening the door for her. He eyed her closely when she walked in, clearly not taken aback by the house. She took out her cellphone, and saw she had no signal. _That's weird._ She then saw she had a message.

**Where are you? You forgot to turn off your TV! x Mom**

'How in the hell…' she muttered. 'What?' Damon snarled before snatching her phone. 'This is not a dream,' Cara stuttered. If it was a dream, why wouldn't she be in her bed back home?

'If you don't have any signal, which is weird, how can you have a message?' Damon asked. Cara shrugged. 'I really don't know. Maybe this is the way of the universe telling me that I am not dreaming, and that I should be careful?'

Damon seemed to soften up for a minute. 'You actually thought you were dreaming? And you know me because of some show? How is it that I don't know about any of this?'

'I don't know. But your name is really Damon Salvatore? Not Ian Somerhalder?'  
'Who is this Ian guy? Of course my name is Damon, and I still think it's freaky that you actually know that. What else do you know?'

Cara thought this over. If he wasn't acting, then would the storyline from the show be the same as what happened here? She didn't really know what she could say, but she could think of one thing.

'Where's Elena?'  
'Elena? How do you-? Oh. The show. She's with Stefan. I don't even want to know what they are doing right now.' A hurt look passed his face.

Cara tried to puzzle all of this, but she couldn't. Alaric died, which means Elena should be a vampire. Elena broke up with Stefan. Or at least they broke up with each other. And now she's with Stefan again?

'Damon, I know this question is probably gonna hurt you, but did Elena ever break up with Stefan because of you?'  
Damon's face snapped up, looking angry.  
'This is not funny, little lady. If she did, you think I'd let her go so soon again?'  
Cara shook her head. 'No, but I needed to know that. Despite the fact that I know who all of you are, I don't know what happened. It's all different from the show. Is Elena even a vampire?'

Damon laughed, even though it wasn't pleasant. 'Elena? A vampire? Ha! No way, Stefan is way too protective to ever let that happen.'  
'Then what happened to Ric?' The question was out before she could stop it. 'I.. I am sorry.. If you don't want to..'  
'He got killed. Tried to protect Elena from Klaus' blood collections. Klaus was not pleased.' His face was set in cold, hard lines. Clearly trying not to show how hurt and angry he was.

Cara placed her hand on his shoulder. 'It's okay. You can be hurt. You loved him, it's normal to be grieving.' Damon stirred and shook her hand off. 'I am NOT hurt. You hear me? He was just human, and I shouldn't care about them.'  
Cara chuckled. 'You sound just like Kol!' Damon glared at her. 'Don't you ever compare me to that little brat again!'

Cara flinched. 'Sorry,' she muttered. Damon seemed to calm down. 'Now, you. What's your name, anyway?' 'Cara,' she said, sticking her hand out. Damon looked at it, before taking it.  
'Well, you obviously know who I am. So, what are you gonna do now?'


	3. Confusion Strikes Home

**Yay! I had my first review, and a follow/favorite! So happy right now! Thank you so much!**

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**Confusion strikes home**

'I.. I don't know, really,' Cara admitted. 'I have no idea how I got here, and I don't even want to think about what would happen if I would go back home. Plus, I am terrified of flying, so I couldn't even go home right now.'

Cara flinched as the pain in her legs started up again. 'Can I sit down? And maybe have an aspirin?' Damon looked at her. 'I told you, you shouldn't be drinking.' He gave her a smirk as he went to get her a glass of water and the aspirin. 'It's not a headache. It's my legs..' she said, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.

'What about them? Did I hurt them, while dragging you here? I am sorry about that, though.' Cara grinned at his oh-so-heartfelt apology. 'No, no, you didn't do anything. It's me. I have a bad day today, and whenever I do too much, my body warns me. And instead of warning me before it starts hurting, the hurting is the actual warning.' This time she did noticeably flinch while moving to the table to sit down. Damon scooped her up and sped the process up a little bit. 'Thanks,' she muttered under her breath.

'I guess you know I am a vampire? Or did my little trick give me away?' Damon asked. Cara snickered. 'Yeah, I know. It's part of why I like you so much. You handle it so brilliantly!' Cara gasped. 'Or at least, in the show you do…'

Damon showed off a brilliant smile, followed shortly by a smirk. 'So, you like me? Well, that's always nice to hear.' Cara rolled her eyes. 'At least your attitude hasn't changed much.' Damon laughed. 'I like you. Yeah, I decided I do. So, you have a bad day. What do you mean by that?'

Cara dropped her gaze to her feet and sighed miserably. 'I'm sick…' Before she could go on, Damon cut her off. 'You're sick? Is it… serious?' he asked seriously. 'Wow, you actually sound concerned,' Cara smiled, 'but no, it's not that serious. I'm not dying or anything. I am just tired all of the time, get tired fast, and when I am tired, I have to recover longer.' She told this to a lot of people before, and it became a habit. Damon noticed the lack of emotion in her voice. 'That sounds.. awful,' he managed. Cara looked up at him, suspiciously. 'Why do you even care? You told me you shouldn't care for humans, and right now you look like you could kill someone if that would make me better again.' Damon's face changed back to nonchalance. 'I just don't like seeing anyone miserable.' He shrugged. She didn't have to know he felt something when looking at her. There was something about her that made him want to protect her. She was just so fragile, so lost, so.. miserable. He hoped he could make her feel better.

Cara rolled her eyes once more, and got comfortable on the couch. 'Please, do make yourself at home,' Damon snarled at her. 'Oh, don't worry, I will,' Cara snarled back. A look of surprise flashed over Damon's face. 'You got some fire in you,' he said. 'I have no choice, I have lost as good as everything. If I don't snap back at people, or lose my sarcasm… That's all that's left of the old me, so I try to hold on to that. These little things keep me from drowning in self-pity.' Tears shone in her eyes, and she wiped them away, angrily.

'Well, then it's a good thing that I happen to like those things,' Damon winked at her. Cara's smile wavered, but he could clearly see gratitude in her eyes. 'I do have to go do something now… Will you be okay?' Cara nodded. 'I'll be okay. I have my music with me, so don't worry.' Damon nodded. 'On one condition, Cara, you have to stay put. You obviously know what's out there, and I don't want you facing that alone.' Cara got out her iPod, which was in her jeans, and said: 'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' Damon sighed and left, shaking his head in amusement. She was one hell of a girl.

As Damon walked out of the door, and she plugged her earphones in, she was struck by realization. She was wearing normal clothes, and her iPod was in her jeans, where it always was. But she was wearing her pajamas when she went to sleep. She pondered this over for a moment, before deciding it didn't do her any good questioning these things. She was just going to have to take it as it would come. She pressed play on her favorite Fall Out Boy song, turned up the volume, and made herself comfortable.


	4. An Unwelcome Visitor

**I am surprised to see that people are actually reading this :). I am doing my very best, and since this is my first story, I hope I am doing okay. If you have questions, or you have tips for me, please share them in the reviews! **

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**An Unwelcome Visitor**

Cara was just drifting off to sleep when the door was roughly opened and a man yelled: 'Damon, where the bloody hell are you!' Annoyed Cara opened her eyes, got up and said while rubbing her eyes, 'He's not here, and I am trying to get some sleep, so please, just keep it down.' She was glad to feel the pain in her legs had faded, and she turned around to see who just came barging in. 'What do you mean, he's not here?' he fumed. When realization struck her, she just stared at him.

'Am I gonna get an answer out of you, or do I have to try other ways? And what the hell are you staring at?' He locked eyes with her and stopped in his tracks. She was beautiful, and she looked.. Shocked? Amused? Scared?

'I expected a1000 year old hybrid to be a bit smarter than this. "What do you mean, he's not here?" It's not rocket science. He. Is. Just. Not. Here. You know, he's out?' She watched surprise fall over Klaus' face. Then he smiled. Inside she melted a little. His smile was even more gorgeous in real life. She, however, wasn't going to show him that.

'I see. And who might you be, love?' Cara pulled a face. Ugh. She was so not falling for this. 'Cara,' she said in a clipped tone. 'And you don't want to know who I am?' Klaus asked. Cara rolled her eyes. No lack of arrogance there. 'Oh, I know all about you, so let's skip this introduction, shall we, Klaus?'

'Ah, I see you have heard of me. And what have you heard about me? Nice things I hope?' Klaus smirked. Cara shrugged. 'Mostly I have heard about all of the horrible things you've done, and about how you're such an awful person. But, on the other side, I also know that you can be quite the romantic. And when you are, you are actually not that bad to be around. Too bad you won't let yourself be that man. Maybe Caroline would love you back if you were.' Klaus looked at her in horror. She face palmed herself. She really needed to stop blurting out things like this.

'How do you know all of this? Are you a witch? A psychic?' Klaus glared at her, and she felt a creepy tingle going up her spine. But, before she could answer Damon stormed in. 'You know what she is, Klaus? None of your business.' Klaus snarled at Damon. 'She knows things that I barely even know myself, she definitely is my business.' 'Well, too bad,' Damon snarled back. 'What are you even doing here? I thought we were meeting at the Grill.' 'We were, until you decided not to show up. But I guess you have been busy,' Klaus wiggled his eyebrows. 'And now that you have had your fun with her, I want to know what she is.'

Cara sighed. 'Damon, just tell him. There's no point in lying. Plus, I so do not have the energy to remember the lies if we did.' Damon looked at her, worried. 'You sure?' Cara nodded. 'We have already established that everything here is different than I knew, so I couldn't help him even if I wanted to.' Damon nodded considerably. 'Fine, then.' He glared at Klaus before giving him an update about what was going on.

'Oh my,' Klaus said, smirking at Cara. 'So you're from some other universe, in a world that you thought you knew very well, only to find out everything is different from what you expected?' He rubbed his chin. 'How very interesting. And, those, characters, as you call them, are us?' Cara nodded. 'That's like the only thing that hasn't changed.' A wicked grin appeared on Klaus' face. 'Who were your favorites?' Cara's felt an enormous blush creep up her face. 'Is that really important?' she mumbled. Klaus snickered. 'But yes, of course. If I know who you were… crushing, on, I could have a lot of fun. Especially if it were me. I think I could amuse myself with you.' Cara shook her head in disgust and Damon took a step closer to Klaus. 'Oh, don't worry. You're not on my list. And no way in hell I am gonna share with you who is on my list.' She folded her arms across her chest. 'Tsk, tsk. Don't get cocky with me, love. I will find out, and I might even be able to help you.'

Cara raised an eyebrow. 'Help me? How in God's name would you help me?' 'Well, let's see. For starters, I could set up a meeting, and things could go on from there, with maybe a little nudge from me.' 'You would never help me if there isn't anything in it for you. Plus, if you'd nudge people, they'd do the exact opposite. Not that that would even be necessary, they wouldn't like me anyway.' Klaus looked confused at that. 'Why wouldn't they like you? You are beautiful, and you know how to talk back. Keeps the conversation interesting. A lot of guys are in to that, you know? Unless… You play on the other team?' He raised a questioning eyebrow. 'Yuk, no. And guys are not in to me. And hell to the no, I am not beautiful. But, however, thanks for wanting to help me anyway,' she said genuinely. Even though she felt Damon's gaze on her, she felt that Klaus actually was curious, and wanted to help her for some reason. But how could she tell him it was his younger brother Kol, and his enemy Damon that she was crushing on? Klaus didn't handle rejection well, especially when it came to these two people. But, she did know that he could be a useful ally.

'Whatever you say, love. But, I think, with your gift, I could use your help with… some matters. Care to join me for dinner tomorrow evening?' Cara could see he was trying his best to act like he didn't care about her answer, but she knew better. Just as she opened her mouth to agree, Damon interrupted. 'This has been going on too long, you should leave,' he said angry. 'Damon,' Cara warned him softly, surprised to see him back off. 'I'd be happy to join you tomorrow. And even though I know how your house looks, I wouldn't know how to get there. Pick me up at 6?' Klaus was a little stunned that she agreed, but he recovered quickly. 'Will you be here?' Cara looked at Damon, who was still seething, and she knew she was gonna have it after Klaus left. Still, he gave a tight nod. 'Good,' Klaus said, clearly amusing himself once again. He didn't know why Damon acted this way, but he sure did like pushing his buttons. 'Then I will see you tomorrow, love.' He winked at Cara and spun around, facing Damon. 'I trust you will take good care of her.' Without waiting for an answer he walked out the door.

Damon turned around to face Cara, his face seething. 'Save it,' Cara snapped. 'Why?' Damon growled. 'It's not safe for you to be alone with him.' 'And how do you know? He asked for my help, and I know Klaus is a good ally. Plus, there really is a nice person hidden inside of him. You just don't know that guy.' She eyed Damon closely. 'You're jealous,' she stated. 'Why?' She saw multiple emotions cross Damon's face. 'You have only known me for half a day now, and even though you know my entire life's story…' Damon walked up to her, pinning her to the wall. 'I don't know. But there is something about you,' he pulled a string of her loose and twirled it around his finger before sticking it behind her ear, 'that seems familiar. Like I have known you forever..' Cara's breath hitched. She couldn't help but stare at his face, his lips.. But in the meantime pictures of her boyfriend at home kept popping up. She was still conflicted when Damon interrupted her thoughts once again.

'Since Elena shot me down, I haven't let myself feel things except for anger. But you.. you make me feel the good things again. And I know I shouldn't, but I can't help myself. And the idea that you are going off to Klaus' tomorrow, makes me seethe with rage. You might think he can be a nice guy, but I know better. He is not a nice guy, and I sure as hell don't trust him with you. You've been here shortly, but I can't stand the idea of losing you already.' He looked hurt and angry, very angry. She shook her head. 'I am sorry Damon, but I am going anyway. He won't hurt me, he actually wants to help me.'

'So do I, dammit!' Damon burst out. 'I don't know if you can go home, or if you want to, but as long as you're here I want to protect you! And on my first time enacting it you're making it impossible!' Cara put her hands on his chest, reveling in the feel of it, butterflies fluttering like crazy, and looked up at him, trying to avoid his lips. 'Right now I don't want to be anywhere else but here,' she whispered, 'but I am still going to go to Klaus tomorrow. If you like it or not. I don't care if you are gonna keep pacing in front of the house, but I am going to go in alone.' Damon looked at her hands at his chest and grabbed her wrists, staring at her intently. Her pulse was racing, he could hear that much. But why? Was she scared of him? The thought hit him like lightning and he let her go, taking a step back. Cara looked at him breathless.

'So, now that that's settled. Where will I be sleeping?'


	5. Good Night?

**Yay! More followers and favorites! And another review! I like reading reviews, so please, leave them! I know that the length of my chapters isn't always the same, but I just write, and when I feel like a chapter is over, it's over. And sometimes that's a bit shorter, or longer, than the others. I also try to write as much as I can, and as fast as I can!**

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**Good Night?**

Still feeling breathless she watched Damon's face turn from, shock?, to… To what? It was unreadable, no expression there. It scared her a little.

'You can sleep in one of the guest rooms,' he said blankly. 'Follow me.' He walked up the stairs and showed her into the room next to his. She smirked on the inside because of that. Still keeping her as close as possible. She shook her head, amused.

'Here you go,' he said looking around a bit awkward. 'It's not much, but at least it's more comfortable than the couch.' He looked at her, daring her to say anything ungrateful. 'It's perfect,' she beamed. It's not much, hmpf. It was a suite, it was gorgeous in its simplicity. 'Thank you, Damon,' she said, looking into his eyes, hoping he'd feel the truth in them. He snapped his head away from her gaze and walked out of the room.

She sighed. She seriously did not know what came over him. And why the hell did he back away like that? Did she do something wrong? She shouldn't have touched him. She knew that was out of line. Well, too late to change now. She got up to change, and realized that there wasn't anything to change in to. She looked in the mirror, an decided that her oversized shirt would do. She took off her jeans, and hung them over a chair. She made a loose ponytail with the band that was always around her wrist and looked at her reflection. She smiled a little. She actually pulled this look off. Too bad the confidence never stuck.

She spun around when she heard something, only to find Damon standing in the doorway, a confused look on his face. She immediately forgot her appearance, and was just worried about him. 'Damon? Are you okay?' She asked while walking towards him.

A disgusted look crossed his features. 'Were you scared of me? When I pinned you to the wall?' For a moment Cara looked confused. 'Scared? No, why would you think so?' She now became unsure of her outfit, and tried to cover herself up. 'Don't,' Damon whispered. 'You look stunning like this.' Cara's look got even more confused, but she stopped fumbling. 'Why would you think I was scared?' She asked again.

Damon was the one to look uncomfortable now. 'You're pulse was racing when I burst out, and I thought you were terrified of me,' he said hurt. Cara smiled a smile of relief, quickly replaced by fear. _Oh god. If I tell him I wasn't scared, he will want to know why my pulse was racing… I can't tell him, I just can't… What if he turns away, or rejects me? I can't handle that… _'No,' she said, trying to keep her voice level. 'I wasn't scared, trust me. I only got scared when you pulled away like that. I thought I did something wrong.' Damon took a step closer to her, closing the last distance between them, and took her hands again. 'You didn't do anything wrong, don't worry,' he smiled. He then looked at her again. 'You're pulse is racing, again… Why?'

Cara's face flushed, and she was sure she looked like a tomato by now, but she didn't say anything. A look of amused understanding crossed Damon's face. 'Has this anything to do with that list of yours? The one that Klaus was hinting at?' He smirked, but on the inside everything was screaming at him to kiss her, the moment she said he was the one she was crushing on. At that moment he didn't care they only just met, he just wanted to hear her say he was the one, not Stefan.

Cara sighed. 'Partly,' she admitted. Damon's eyebrows furrowed. 'What do you mean?' 'There are… 2 people on my list, if you want to call it like that,' she murmured. Damon's heart was racing too, just don't let it be Stefan. Anyone is better than Stefan. 'Who are they? If I might ask?' he asked nonchalant. Cara sighed and shook her head. How was she supposed to tell him? 'You're not gonna let this go, are you?' Damon shook his head. 'Nope. So spill.'

Cara took a deep breath, paused, and said: 'One of them is, ehm, actually… You. And, the other-' She got cut off by Damon's lips on hers, and his hands on the sides of her face. She didn't know exactly what was happening, but she found herself kissing him back with everything she had. Her body didn't know how to handle this, It felt like everything was shutting down. Her stomach was full of butterflies, her heart sunk with an amazing feeling, like an adrenaline rush, and all of her muscles seemed to grow weak. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him closer, hearing him letting out a soft moan. His arms moved to her lower back before letting her go.

Cara's face was flushed, and her lips felt swollen, but she looked up at Damon, breathless. She was waiting for the hurtful comments that always followed. The ones that were supposed to let her off easy, but instead made it even worse.

Damon, however, didn't know what to say. That felt even better than he expected, or hoped. There definitely was something with this girl, that he longed for. He looked at her beautiful features one more time, before turning around and walking out. He didn't want to give her a chance to apologize, or say something else he didn't want to hear.

Cara watched how Damon practically stormed out, and tears filled up her eyes. She knew it. He didn't even have to say something to make it clear. She let the tears fall for a minute, before she climbed into her bed. Of course he didn't like her. And he would like her even less when he got to know the second name, because she felt like he wanted to know that anyway.

She wiped her tears away angrily. She was not going to feel sorry for herself. She deserved this. She had a boyfriend, for crying out loud. Whom she loved very much, even though they were going through a terribly rough patch right now. She put in her iPod, closed her eyes, and prayed that sleep would come soon.


	6. Getting Ready

**I like Kol better too! But we all know Kol doesn't just live in Mystic Falls, but don't worry. He will turn up shortly!  
Thanks for reading!  
This isn't the most exciting chapter, but the next one probably will be! Let me know what you think in the reviews!**

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**Getting Ready**

When Cara woke up, she was afraid to open her eyes. She didn't know what she would see when she opened them, and even worse. She didn't know what she wanted to see. She felt horrible. She missed her bunnies at home, and her dad, but that was it. If she was completely honest, she didn't miss her boyfriend at all. And even though yesterday had been an emotional rollercoaster, she felt at peace here. She could start over here. If here was still Mystic Falls. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes. She was still in Mystic Falls. She grinned slowly and stretched. She turned over to see what time it was, and almost jumped when she saw it was 13:00!

She got up quickly, feeling amazing. Finally, a good day. She could use that today, with Klaus' dinner party and all. She didn't want Klaus fussing over her like a lost puppy. Which she knew he would. She put on her pants again, and put 'new clothes' on her priority list. She wasn't going to let Damon know how hurt she was, but she was gonna ask him for some money.

She went downstairs, looking for him. 'Damon?' she yelled. 'You home?' 'No,' Stefan's voice came from behind her. 'Oh! Stefan! You scared me!' Cara said startled. Stefan grinned. 'Sorry. Guess you're Cara?' Cara nodded. 'Damon told you about me?' 'Yes, he did. It's quite… something, don't you think?' An amused look lay in his eyes. 'Yeah, it indeed is. But, I am looking for Damon, obviously. Do you know where he is?' Cara was getting impatient. Stefan was implying something, and she couldn't figure out what.

'I don't know where Damon is right now, but I do know he went shopping for you. Something he doesn't do easily. It's on the table,' Stefan nodded. 'Well, I am going to let you try these things on, I have class to get to.' Cara muttered a goodbye and walked to the table, where packages lay. She was a little scared. What if she didn't like the clothes? When she came up close, she saw a note, laying on top of the packages.

_Goodmorning Cara,  
or afternoon, depends on when you wake up.  
I let you sleep, because you seemed to need it, and you were so tired yesterday already. I did sneak into your room for your clothes sizes, so I could get you something to wear.  
You look adorable when sleeping, totally at peace. I'd like to meet that girl one day.  
I hope you like the clothes, I thought these were things you would like. I even got you a simple dress for tonight's dinner. If you're still planning on going, you should look fabulous.  
I'll be out most of the day, but I'll be back later tonight to hear how it went. And if that son of bitch just as so much tried to hurt you…  
Well, I guess we'll find out tonight. Make yourself at home!  
Damon_

Cara read the note several times. This note seemed so, caring. Loving maybe even. The part about Klaus hurting her amused her. Damon wanted to protect her so desperately. This did not even come close to his behavior last night. She felt confused. She was going to have to talk about it, even if she really did not want to.

She looked at the packages and picked up the smallest one. It held a beautiful simple necklace, with a beautiful Amethyst quarts. She guessed it was a joke to the drinking yesterday, but coincidentally it was also her favorite stone. She put it aside carefully, and took a little bag. It had a mascara, eyeliner and a simple lip gloss in it. She couldn't help but feel a little grateful for that.

Moving on she found black jeans, with a shirt that seemed perfect for her. Alternative enough, yet still normal enough for other people. She slipped those clothes on fast, hoping no one would enter. She liked what she saw. Her eyes flickered back to the table. The box with the dress in it was still there. She opened it, and gasped. It was gorgeous. It was a dark, purple, dress, that would end just before her knees. It was dead simple, and matched her necklace. On the floor she saw a shoe box, with a little note on it, once again.

_You are so not wearing sneakers tonight. Not with that dress!_

She smirked at that and opened the box, to find beautiful black shoes, with a normal heel to it. They were gorgeous in their simplicity. Damon got her sense of fashion perfectly. She grabbed everything before going upstairs and to get ready.

She dropped everything on her bed, and went to take a shower. She didn't want to get out, but she knew it must be getting close to 3pm, so she got out. Wrapped in towels she went downstairs to get something to eat, since she was starving. Even if they were vampires, there had to be something, right? Elena was here all the time.

She didn't find much what she liked, but she did find an apple. Well, it wasn't perfect, but she was hungry. She started slicing up the apple, and put in a bowl to eat.

After she was finished, and had washed her hands, she realized she was still in towels. 'Good thing Stefan and Damon are out all day,' Cara muttered to herself. She put down the magazine she was reading, and raced upstairs again. She washed her hands, and cursed herself when she saw she had been down for an hour. She only had 2 hours left now, and she was horrible with make-up.

She sat herself down, and took a deep breath. Slowly she started doing her make-up, hoping it would go well the first time. She was lucky. After 60 minutes she was done. She combed her hear, and stuck it up a little, curls falling over her shoulders. Her hair was normally sort of straight, but whenever it got wet, it would curl like crazy.

She put on her underwear, her dress and the shoes and looked in the mirror. She did not recognize this person looking back at her, but she did like her immediately. She smiled a brave smile. 'I can do this. I can talk to Klaus. No big deal. Damon should stop overreacting. It's not like Kol will be there and will ruin my chance of saying pretty much anything.' A sharp pang of guilt went through her. Surprisingly not for her boyfriend, but for Damon. She shook it off. If he wanted to walk away like that, she shouldn't feel guilty for thinking about Kol. She straightened her shoulders. She was starting over here. She could be strong. She stood up, and went downstairs, to wait the last 15 minutes there.

When she got downstairs, she heard a knock on the door. When she went to open it, she found Klaus smiling at her. 'What,' she said, 'no barging in this time?' Klaus laughed. 'I am here to pick up a lady, so I shall behave.' He offered her his arm. 'You're ready?' Cara nodded and took his arm. She stepped outside and saw nothing. 'We're walking?' she asked nervously. Klaus nodded. 'No car seemed right, and it is not that far actually, so yes, we will be walking.' He looked at her. 'You okay?' Cara nodded. She was strong. She had a good day. And if he said it wasn't that far, she could do this. 'I will take off my shoes then. Can't walk that well on heels.' Klaus grinned at that. 'I'll carry them for you.' Cara rolled her eyes and gave him her shoes.

'Well, lead the way,' she said.


	7. Dinner Party

**Dinner Party**

They started walking in silence. Cara felt a bit awkward, but she really did not know what to say. She did feel Klaus his eyes on her constantly, which made her feel more than aware of her body.

'You look stunning,' Klaus broke the silence. 'Did Damon pick that out for you?' Cara looked up at him, seeing Klaus smiling amused. 'Thanks. And yes. So?' Klaus chuckled. 'No need to be so offensive, love.' Cara rolled her eyes. 'You wanted my help. I may be able to actually help you. Who cares who picked out my dress?' 'It doesn't. But it figures.' Cara stopped in her tracks. 'What figures?' she asked suspiciously. 'Keep on walking, love. We can talk at the same time.' Cara started up again and looked at him. 'Damon was very… protective, of you, yesterday. He usually doesn't care about anyone, except for maybe Elena. But he knows that ship has sailed. There was something hanging between you two. He even backed off when you wanted him to! That's not like him. He might fancy you, love.' He raised an eyebrow at Cara who shook her head. 'Trust me, he doesn't. It may seem that way, but he really, really, doesn't.' Klaus seemed surprised at her hurt and angry tone. 'What happened, love?' For some reason Cara felt like she could Klaus with this. 'He kissed me, last night,' she blurted out. Klaus smirked. 'So he does fancy you!' Cara glared at him. 'After he let go of me, he just walked out, just like that. Nothing. Not a word, not an expression. He just left. Left me standing there.' She forced her tears to stay in. 'He probably realized what a huge mistake he made, and left to deal with it.'

'I am sure that's not the case. There must be a reason. But, why are you so upset by this?' Klaus asked concerned, but before Cara could answer it dawned on him. 'He's the one. You wouldn't tell me yesterday, but it's Damon, isn't it?' Cara shrugged. 'I suppose he was.' Hoping to get this over with, she walked a little faster. 'I'm sure you two will work it out, but, a list isn't something about 1 thing or person. How many were there?' Klaus asked smiling, trying to light up the mood. 'Two,' Cara said clipped, 'and no way in hell I am telling you who the other one is.' She looked at Klaus, who stopped walking. 'I am not, so stop trying. Can't we just get to your place? I am starving.'

Klaus chuckled. 'We are here, Cara. You were just too busy rambling to notice.' Cara turned around and stomped into the house. She had seen this place on TV, but it was better in real life. 'You want your shoes back, or can I put them down?' Klaus asked holding up her shoes. 'Put them down. I'll grab them when I go back.' Klaus saw that Cara was actually hurting. Whoever that second person was, it bothered her humongously. He decided to drop it. He would find out eventually anyway.

'This way, please,' he said, guiding her into the dining room. Even though Cara was very mad at Klaus, for pushing her buttons so easily, all of that vanished when she saw the pasta. 'We're having pasta!?' she exclaimed, beaming. Klaus relaxed. 'I'm glad you like it. Please, sit down.' Cara didn't have to be asked twice. She sat down and waited eagerly for Klaus to say she could start.

Klaus laughed. 'Enjoy,' he said. Cara took a bite, and sighed at the amazing taste of it. Klaus looked at her, loving the way she ate. He had to pull himself together and ask the questions she was here for.

'So, you were here to help me?' Klaus asked. 'Oh, god! Sorry!' Cara exclaimed, while cleaning the sauce of her face. 'Yes, how can I help you?' She saw Klaus' face falter. 'Is it about Caroline?' she asked carefully. Klaus nodded. 'You knew I loved her before I knew it myself. And you also knew that she is not interested. She only likes this Tyler boy, and well, he is still running from me.' Cara sighed. How could a 1000 year old man not see how simple this really was?

'If you really like Caroline, why do you keep making her miserable? You keep hurting everyone around her! You scared her boyfriend away, threatening to kill him. Or at least, in the show you did.' She eyed Klaus, who wasn't arguing. 'How about you just lay off on that promise, and let him come back. Tyler is an aggressive guy. Eventually he and Caroline will not work. And then you could be there for her, and she might actually see the amazing guy that is inside of you. You just need to stop feeling scared. People can actually love you, and if you give them the chance, without doing something stupid, they won't hurt you.' She looked at him, nervously, scared she crossed a line. But, on the other hand, he wanted her help. Klaus seemed to think about what she said. 'They only hurt you because you hurt them first, Klaus… You push them away whenever they get too close…' Cara whispered.

'Why won't Caroline and Tyler work?' Klaus asked. 'Because you will be nice to her. You will let Tyler come back, promise not to hurt him, but be nice in the meantime to Caroline. You won't try to steal her, just be nice, be a friend. Whenever Tyler talks bad of you, she will defend you. Which she will, because you have been nice to her. You see how that could be a problem for them? And then when they do break up, you are the first person she'd want to tell.'

Klaus looked confused. 'So, I should just be nice? Pretend like I want her to be with Tyler again?' Cara nodded. 'You just have to make sure your performance is flawless. You can't come between them, that will only make Caroline hate you.' Klaus tapped his chin. 'How do you know this will work?' Cara smiled. 'Just trust me.' Klaus smirked. 'That's something I don't do easily. You have to earn it, and then still it's hard for me.' Cara rolled her eyes. 'I know. What will prove I'm trustworthy?'

Klaus smiled at her, with a wicked glint in his eyes. 'Who is the second person on your list?' Cara glared at him while scraping the last bits of her plate. 'I thought I made myself clear. I am not telling you. Ironically it won't make you trust me more.' Klaus chuckled. 'I don't believe that.' Cara shrugged. 'Too bad.' She pushed her plate away. 'That was delicious,' she beamed. Hoping he'd fall for her change of topic. Of course he didn't.

'Don't change the topic, love. I will find out sooner or later.' Klaus really didn't see who would be that bad. 'Rather later than sooner then,' Cara snarled. She wanted to get out of here. 'Was that all, Klaus? I am getting tired, and I really want to go back… home.' For just a moment she thought he looked hurt, but he recovered and nodded. 'Sure, it is getting late after all.' He got up. 'Come on, let's go get your shoes.'

She got up, but before they walked to the door, Klaus told her to wait a sec. He went into the kitchen, and came back carrying a box. 'Here,' he handed it over. 'I had tiramisu for desert, but I didn't expect it to get this late. You enjoy that at home,' he said while giving Cara a wink. She smiled. The nice guy really was there. 'Thanks,' she said while holding onto it.

Klaus stood there for a second, feeling awkward. 'So, your shoes,' he muttered. Cara grinned, and followed him out into the hallway. She went to the side to pick up her shoes, while she heard Klaus stiffen and curse. 'What is it?' Cara asked nervous. 'We have company,' he answered her. She listened close, and indeed, she heard voices. She got her shoes and walked up to Klaus, trying to recognize the voice. When she did, she could hear he was already almost at the door. She was praying it wouldn't be him, but the second the door flew open, she knew it had no use.

She couldn't keep her eyes of the doorway, and she saw him appearing. He had a girl with him, who obviously was compelled. She wondered immediately if she could get compelled, and didn't want to know right now. She'd ask Damon, when he came around. The moment she got a good look at the visitor, and realized her suspicions were right, she dropped her shoes and took a step back, trembling on her feet. She could feel her heart pounding, trying to come out of her chest. Butterflies were fluttering like crazy, even worse than the time she kissed Damon. She was frozen in place, and she felt Klaus' gaze on her.

'Him!?' he hissed angrily. Cara still couldn't respond. She just kept staring at Kol, and this, girl. A rush of jealousy washed over her, even though she knew that was ridiculous. The girl was compelled, she wasn't here out of free will.

'Well, hello, brother,' Kol said amused. 'I see you found yourself a toy to amuse yourself with?' Klaus was obviously raging on the inside. 'She's not a toy, Kol. She was here to help me with something.' Kol wiggled his eyebrows. 'Sure. Now, sweetie, you're in the shadows, can you come forward and show yourself?' Cara managed to shake her head, still frozen in place, staring at him.

He sped up in front of her, and stopped in his tracks the moment he saw her. He had no words to describe her. She wasn't beautiful in some glamorous way, she was just, beautiful. Her hair was perfect, and a few strands had gotten loose. He resisted the urge to put them back, and looked her up and down, trying to be nonchalant. 'Well, you certainly look well tonight, don't you?' Cara nodded, and Kol heard her heartbeat speed up even more. He was satisfied with this. He didn't know if it was fear, or if she was struck by his beauty, but he liked it either way. 'So, how long is she staying?' he asked Klaus. Finally Cara found her voice back. 'I was just leaving, thank you.' She picked up her shoes and walked by Kol, and out of the door.

* * *

**And Kol arrived! Please share in the reviews what you think will happen next :D.**


	8. Saved by the Vampire

**Saved by the Vampire**

Cara hoped Klaus would yell at Kol long enough for her to get far away enough, but when she looked around, she already saw Klaus standing in the doorway. Before she could turn on her heels and run, she got picked up and sped off.

The speed made her a little dizzy, and when she got put down, she fell to her knees almost immediately. She blinked several times and looked around. She was at Damon's again. She looked up and saw Damon staring at her. She struggled to get up, ignoring his outstretched hand. Cara glared at him.

'What? No, thank you for saving me, speech?' Damon asked. 'Saving me? You thought you were saving me?' Cara burst out. 'What were you saving me from? Klaus?' Damon looked surprised, but nodded. 'He wasn't going to hurt me,' Cara took a deep breath. 'Then why were you so eager to leave there?' Damon asked suspicious, not buying a word she was saying. 'To get away from Kol, okay?' she snapped. Damon looked at her incomprehensively. 'Kol? What was Kol doing there?' Cara shrugged. 'I don't know. Visiting his brother, showing off his new toy,' Cara said, spatting the word toy.

'So Kol hurt you?' Damon asked, getting angry again. Cara let out a growl of frustration. 'No, Damon. Kol did not hurt me!' 'Then why did you want to leave so badly?' 'GAH! Because Kol is the second character on my list, you idiot!' Damon stared at her blankly, before his face turned into anger and disgust. 'KOL, is the second person!?' He was wrong. It could be worse than Stefan. 'Do you have any idea how dangerous he is!' 'I know that in the show he is horrible, but I don't know how he is here. If it's worse, or less…' she trailed off.

'If you know he's dangerous, then why are you still crushing on him?' Cara looked at Damon. 'Like you were a sweet kitty cat in the beginning,' she snapped. 'But,' she sighed, 'because he is drop dead gorgeous. And I can't help it!' She threw her hands in the air. 'What am I supposed to do Damon? He saw me, he knows what I look like! He thinks I am Klaus' toy, and Klaus was just too stunned to deny it. He was angry as hell at my response to Kol. So, I don't know what is going to happen next.' She dropped her hands again. 'But you probably don't have to worry, Kol barely paid me attention. He just looked me up and down.'

Damon knew better, and he was not losing this girl to Kol. Kol, for crying out loud! Of all people. Or vampires. Or whatever.

'I'm sorry, Cara. I should know better than to judge feelings. I know it's not something you can shut off easily. Or at least it's hard without losing my humanity,' Damon shrugged. 'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' Cara waved him away, while her heart ached for him. She wanted to be close to him again, she didn't care about Kol right now. But she couldn't. Not after what he did last night. She couldn't be hurt like that again.

'I'm going to my room. I need to be alone.' Cara emphasized the word 'alone', and left Damon standing there. When she wanted to walk into her room, Damon was popping up in front of her. 'What's going on with you? You are even more angry than yesterday, and yesterday you softened up. We kissed for crying out loud! And now you're giving me the cold shoulder? You could've just said it was a mistake, you know,' Damon said hurt.

'I am giving you the cold shoulder?' Cara asked unbelieving. 'Me? I'm sorry to break it to you, but you were the one to just leave last night, and disappearing afterwards, not coming back until you unnecessarily rescued me from Klaus.' Damon just blinked. 'But…' Cara put her hands on her hips. 'But what? I have heard it all, you know. Every damn excuse in the world. But never, never has anyone just walked away from me like that. I'd rather hear a lame-ass excuse than that,' she said, blinking her tears away. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?

Damon walked into her room and sat down on her bed, his head in his hands. 'Of course I ruined it,' he muttered angrily. 'Ever since Elena, every time I kissed someone, afterwards they made some horrible comment, shooting me down. I expected you to do the same. Especially when you looked at me so sad.' His had snapped up. 'Now I know you were waiting for me to make a similar remark.' He shook his head. 'I am very sorry, Cara.' He stood up again and walked up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. 'I think that maybe we should try again…' he whispered, while coming closer. Cara forgot how to breathe, and just stood there, feeling like an idiot. When his lips touched hers again, and his arms wrapped around her back, she couldn't help but moan and fling her arms around him as well, while pushing herself against him.

He let out a soft growl and picked her up, pushing her against the wall, once more, with her legs around his hips. Their tongues explored each other and when Damon finally put Cara down again, she breathed hard. Desperately wanting to kiss him again. Damon saw the longing in Cara's eyes and chuckled softly. He seriously loved this girl. He froze for a second at this thought. He couldn't! What about Kol? She definitely had feelings for him as well… He made up his mind. He was going all in. With a bit of luck she would love him back, and Kol would just be another annoying vampire.

He smiled at her, a smile full of love, and Cara melted, and writhed in pleasure. She put her hands back on his neck, and pulled his face closer. Just before their lips met again, they were interrupted by someone coughing.

Cara glanced over Damon's shoulder to see Klaus standing in the doorway, looking irritated. She dropped her hands, and stepped aside. 'What is it, Klaus?' she said.

Klaus stepped into the room. 'Kol?' he spat. 'Seriously, Kol?' Cara pretended not to know what he was talking about. 'What about him?' Klaus snarled. 'Don't play this game with me! I saw, and rather heard your reaction to him, and when he came closer you heart went so fast you could've past out!' Cara looked at the ground. 'And the worst part is,' Klaus continued, 'is that Kol liked you immediately. He has not figured out yet if you were afraid of him or taken aback by his 'beauty', but he killed his toy almost immediately.' Klaus seemed to calm down. An actual look of concern filled his eyes. 'You need to be careful. Whenever Kol wants something, he usually gets it.' Klaus looked at Damon. 'And he certainly doesn't like others playing with the things he want.' Klaus looked at Cara who was about to interrupt. 'I know you're not a thing, love. But at first he sees everything and everyone as things.' Cara shut her mouth again and looked at Damon. She loved him. Already. But she couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of Kol as well…

Klaus looked at Damon and Cara together, and felt sorry for them. Their kiss he walked in on, was more than just lust. There was also love there, and now his little brother was about to ruin that. Not that Klaus cared about Damon, but Cara was a nice girl. She wanted the best for him, and he really thought they could be friends.

'Damon,' Klaus started. Damon's head snapped in his direction, tearing his gaze of off Cara. 'You love her,' he stated. Cara looked surprised, but prayed for a confirmation. Damon gave a tight nod, and her heart jumped. She couldn't help but smile up at him, even though he was still staring at Klaus. 'Promise me, you'll protect her from Kol. I don't want her hurt,' Klaus said matter-of-factly.

Damon nodded. 'I will, don't worry. I will do everything I can. As long as you try to talk Kol out of this.' The men stared at each other, and Cara could not believe this was actually happening. Klaus nodded back at Damon, and they shook hands, looking very serious.

Klaus turned to look at Cara. 'Please don't let your feelings for Kol overpower you, love. He will only hurt you.' Cara nodded slowly. 'They are mostly based on his looks anyway… As long as he is this mean, there is no problem.' This seemed to satisfy Klaus. Kol never really cared, he just did what he wanted to, and Cara did not appreciate that. 'Then I'll be leaving you to it,' Klaus smirked as he walked out of the door.

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**I do really love reading your reviews, so please, leave them!**


	9. Take A Breath

**Take a Breath**

Kol stood smirking beneath Cara's window. Of course his brother would come here immediately. And of course he followed. He chuckled at his brother's foolishness. However, the things that he was hearing weren't so amusing. The annoying Salvatore boy already had her fall for him. This made him angry. He almost walked away when he heard Cara say that her feelings for him were based on his looks. So she wasn't scared. Or not entirely. He listened closely and was slightly hurt by the fact that she found him mean. Damon probably filled her head with his history. He shrugged, and started walking away. Then he should try a different approach with her. He didn't care how he got her, but he wanted her to be his, preferably out of free will. Compelled girls never were was much fun.  
He made a disgusted face at Klaus' comment. Clearly Damon and Cara had been making out before Klaus disturbed them. Anger raged through Kol's body, but he controlled it. Tomorrow, he would set his plan in motion.

* * *

As Klaus left Cara sat on her bed again. Damon looked at her, and imagined what would be going through her head right now. He knew how hard it was to love someone, for whatever reason, when you know you shouldn't. Damon sat down next to her and pulled her in his arms. 'It's gonna be okay,' he murmured into her hear. 'Don't worry, I'll be there for you, always.' He kissed the top of her head, and wiped away her falling tears. He'd leave her for now, she had enough to deal with. 'Good night,' he whispered, while walking out.

* * *

Cara didn't want Damon to leave her, but she wanted to be alone. She crawled underneath the sheets, and hoped sleep would pull her in fast. But of course it didn't. She slept too long last night, and now she was paying the price. Images of Kol and Damon kept swimming in front of her eyes. She sighed. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Cara woke up early. She hadn't noticed she fell asleep, but she was grateful. She got up and checked the time. 6:15. She chuckled. Figures. It's Saturday, and even though she didn't have to go to work here, the inside alarm clock was still there. For a minute she worried about who would take her shift, but if she really disappeared back home, her parents would've taken care of it. A sharp pang of guilt went through her. Everyone must be worrying like crazy… And her bunnies… Her heart so bad she almost couldn't keep her voice down. She threw on her new clothes, and took a blanket with her downstairs. She would get a glass of water, and curl up on the couch, hoping that if she would sob too hard no one would hear her.

Shaking she drank her water and she sat herself on the couch. She took out her phone and looked at a picture of Mona and Roger. That was enough. She threw her phone across the room and began sobbing, with loud heaves. She totally forgot about them, how could she? They were her everything! And she just disappeared.. _What if something happened? What if they stopped eating because they noticed something's wrong?_ Cara cried even harder, not caring anymore if anyone would hear her.

When she heard someone moving around upstairs, she quickly got up, dropped the blanket and ran outside. She could just hear Damon calling her, but she ignored him. He wouldn't understand. She ran until she found a little bench she could sit and catch her breath on. All the way the tears kept streaming down her face.

She sat down, and looked around. She ended up at Town's Square. She saw the Grill hadn't opened yet. Too bad, she would've liked something to drink. She put her feet on the bench and hugged her legs. She felt horrible. People at home were worrying about her, her safety, her life! And here she was, worrying about who she loved! It couldn't be real love. They were characters. They weren't real. And if they were, she didn't know anything about them. This was just a stupid dream. One from which she couldn't wake up.

A miserable cry escaped her lips and she started sobbing all over again.

* * *

Kol was walking around town, looking for someone alone he could feed on. He shouldn't have killed his toy already. When he heard someone sobbing, his mood brightened. Crying, alone, vulnerable… Perfect! He ran towards the sound and stopped in front of the girl. The girl looked up at his appearance, and he took a step back. This was that Cara girl. Why was she so miserable? _Ugh. Why do you care?_ 'Are you okay?' he asked. Cara's heartbeat sped up, but she shrugged. 'I don't know. Depends on what you mean.' He looked at her, confused. She sighed. 'Physically, I'm fine. Mentally? Not so much.'

'Did Damon do something?' Kol asked, already getting angry. Cara actually chuckled. 'No, Damon didn't do anything. Why'd you think that?' 'Klaus told me you were staying at his place, so I just figured…' His voice trailed off. Cara shook her head. 'Damon would never hurt me,' she said smiling. Kol was disgusted inside. She loved Damon. That would so not do. She will love him eventually. She had to. He didn't know why it was so important, but she had to.

'So, Kol. Long way from home are you?' Cara asked, pulling herself together. 'I was just, eh, wandering around.' Cara raised an eyebrow. 'Sure you were.' Kol didn't know if he wanted to get angry at her for defying him, but he found he actually enjoyed it. 'However, I could say the same for you,' he continued, controlling himself not to wipe away a few stray tears. _What's wrong with you?! _He found himself sitting next to hear, wiping the tears anyway. Cara froze, but relaxed quickly. She couldn't help but feel comfortable with him here. 'I was feeling sad, and I didn't want to wake Damon or Stefan, so I went out.' Kol's face was full with worry. It made Cara chuckle. It looked cute, but totally out of place. 'What's so funny?' he asked angry. 'That's more like it,' Cara said. 'You were looking extremely worried, and that did not suit you! Not that you weren't gorgeous anymore, it just didn't suit your personality.' She covered her mouth. Jeez, couldn't she ever just think before she said something.

Kol found this utterly amusing. She found him gorgeous. He didn't even have to compel her to think so. He found himself putting an arm around her. 'Just cry, Cara. Just let it out, and you'll feel better afterwards.' His words put her over the edge again, and she wondered where all of the tears were coming from. She leaned into him, and cried onto his shoulder. They sat like this for 5 minutes, and Kol didn't even got bored. He just kept stroking the girl's hair, muttering silly human things like "everything will be okay". He enjoyed her being so close to him. He closed his eyes and just enjoyed. Slowly Cara stopped crying, but she didn't move. He smiled, still having his eyes closed. He could get used to this.

'Thank you, Kol…' Cara murmured into his chest. And he gave her a kiss on her head, surprising himself. 'You're welcome,' he whispered. That's when he got thrown of the bench. He got up quickly, growling, staring into Damon's angry face. 'Stay away from her,' he said. Kol shrugged. 'Why? It's not like she minded me being there.' Damon looked at Cara, before rushing over. 'You okay? He didn't hurt you?' Cara smiled and touched his worried face. 'I'm fine. He was just comforting me, really.' Damon let out a sigh of relief and kissed her softly. 'I was so worried! I saw your phone in the corner of the room, and saw a photo, and immediately knew you were upset. I didn't know where you were…' Cara smiled. 'It's okay now…' She smiled at Kol. 'Thanks to Kol.'

At first everything in Kol was screaming for him to push Damon aside and kiss Cara himself, but before he could do that, he saw Cara smiling up at him and actually thanking him. He, and only him, had made her feel better. A proud lion inside of him roared, pushing away the jealous one. _Jealous? _Yes. Jealous. Damon still glared at him, but he managed a clipped 'Thank you'. Kol saluted, and said: 'Any time, Cara. You know where to find me!' And with that he sped off, before he could do something stupid. She was now friendly to him, and he needed to keep it that way. Hurting Damon wouldn't do that any good.

Cara followed Kol with her eyes as much as she could when he left, and Damon noticed. 'This did not help you suppress your feelings for him, did it?' he asked defeated. Cara looked at him, and shook her head. 'I am so sorry… It felt so… Normal, good… Like it was meant to be… He was actually nice to me, just held me while I cried…' Cara's stomach fluttered when she thought back to his worried look. He wasn't all bad. Just like Klaus wasn't. And she wanted to find the good in him. She looked at Damon and sighed. She just didn't know how, without hurting Damon. And she didn't want to hurt him. But she knew she'd fall head over heels for Kol, if there actually was a good guy inside of him…

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**Kol might not have bursted into the room, but that doesn't mean he wasn't there ;).  
I hope you are still liking this, I know I am! Please, keep reviewing!**


	10. The Only One For Me?

**I am not sure about this chapter, for some reason it felt a little forced, but I tried my best! I have more ideas for the upcoming story, so it should work out alright!  
I also want to thank everyone who reviewed me, and especially the tips! Two of them had already been executed, and I tried my best on the third!  
Please, keep reviewing! **

* * *

**The Only One For Me?**

When Kol arrived home, he laid himself down on the bed, thinking about Cara. Her body just fit his perfectly, she wasn't extremely tall, or extremely short. He thought he was like a head shorter than him. Her light brown hair, which fell in curls the night he met her, was straight this time, and reached at least to the middle of her back. She had green eyes, with little sparks of humor in them. He smiled, just remembering them. And her lips.. Those lips.. He couldn't describe them, other than perfect. He couldn't wait to find out if they matched his, and if she tasted nice… He shook his head. What was he doing?

* * *

Damon had left half an hour earlier, and Cara found herself wandering around. She hadn't seen yet any of the other characters, like Caroline or Rebekah. She adored their fire, and she would love to meet them. As a matter of fact, befriending Caroline was exactly what she needed. She could spill her problems, and she could poke around to see what Caroline actually thought of Klaus. She walked up to a random person, only to find out it was Matt.

'Hi, Matt, I am looking for Caroline. Do you know where she is?' Cara asked bluntly.

Matt stared at her, realization dawning on his face. 'Hey, you're the girl Damon told us about? Cara? The girl from outer space?' he joked. Cara laughed.

'Yup, that would be me,' she said, twirling. Matt laughed, shaking his head.  
'I don't know what you need Caroline for, but I think you two will get along. She's at home.'

Matt gave her the directions and Cara thanked him. She always thought Matt was useless on the show, but actually, he was just friendly.

* * *

She walked up to the door, and hesitated for a moment. She didn't have the confidence for this. She probably had panda eyes, even though Matt didn't say anything. But before she could make up her mind, the door opened, and two arms pulled her into a hug.

'You must be Cara!' Caroline exclaimed, holding Cara on arms-length. 'You have been crying! Oh you poor thing!' Caroline dragged her into the living room, babbling about how sorry she was for everything that had happened to Cara.

'Of course Damon filled us all in, and told us to be nice. Which of course we would've done anyway, but still. I did feel like he was holding something back..' Caroline pondered. 'Anyway, he told us everything. About a list you have?' Caroline looked at Cara curious, ready to gossip.

Cara sighed. 'You're not letting me go until I spill the dirt, right?'  
Caroline agreed happily. 'Well, fine then. Since this is a show back home, I have two favorite male characters, whom I am crushing on like crazy.'  
Caroline practically wriggled in her seat. 'Who, who!'

Cara smiled and shook her head. While staring at the ground she said as fast as she could: 'Damon and Kol.' Caroline gasped.

'No! I get Damon, I mean, I fell for him once. But Kol, seriously?'  
Cara chuckled. 'Have you ever actually really looked at him? He is gorgeous!'  
'To be honest, I have never seen him before. I have only heard the stories, and they are not that pretty,' Caroline said, winking. 'But, now I feel you're holding back as well! I want to know all of the details of the few days you have been here!'

Cara rolled her eyes, and gave her a detailed description. The kisses, Klaus, even though she left out the part she was helping him to win Caroline over, and Kol, caring for her. Caroline sat looking at Cara with a huge shock on her face.

'So, Damon loves you, or so he says, no offense, and you love him. You have had some hot make-out sessions, and he and Klaus promised to protect you from Kol. Still, when Kol found you, he was a perfect gentleman? I find that hard to believe,' Caroline said, shaking her head.

Cara chuckled. 'Yes, he was really sweet. Holding me, stroking my hair, telling me everything would be fine. He even kissed me on my head when I thanked him!' Cara looked at Caroline. 'What if there is an actual nice guy hidden inside of him?'

Caroline looked at her suspiciously. 'I don't know, but I don't think you will let it rest, will you?'

Cara shook her head. 'Lately, back home, I have been having these almost real feelings for the actor that plays Kol, and I have been rewatching his scenes over and over again. To think that Kol could actually be a wonderfully sweet guy, fills me with joy and butterflies!' Cara looked immensely happy. Then her face fell. 'I just don't know what to do with Damon… I really do love him, but if Kol could be a nice guy, I think I would love him even more… Does that make me a bad person?'

Caroline shook her head. 'Nope. That makes you normal. You just have to find out first what you really feel before you tell Damon. But trust me, I know the feeling…'

Now was the time for Cara to look at Caroline suspiciously. 'Ooooh!' she said, wiggling her eyebrows. 'Please, do tell!'

Caroline sighed. 'No… I can't tell you, it's too embarrassing…'  
'Does it have anything to do with Tyler and Klaus?' Cara asked innocently.

Caroline gave a weak smile. 'Oh right, you know… But, yes. I love Tyler, I really do, but Klaus got under my skin. He's still awful, but he has his moments. And just like you said, if there is a good guy in him, I don't know what might happen…'

Cara gave a reassuring smile, and put her hand on Caroline's shoulder. 'You'll work it out, I am sure you will.' Caroline smiled back.

'And so will you! And I am sorry, but you have to leave now, I have somewhere to go to,' Caroline looked apologetic, and Cara nodded.

'It's okay, I have things to do as well.' Talking to Damon for instance. She didn't want to think about Klaus right now, he would never let her near Kol. Damon might, if it made her happy.

Cara got up, and Caroline showed her out.

Cara looked around, inhaling the fresh air, and started walking towards the Grill. She still wanted that drink. When she got there she found a table, so she could eat something as well. She realized she was starving.

When she was waiting for her order, she looked around a bit. No one she supposedly knew. Her food came and she attacked it. It made her giggle inside. _I guess I really was hungry_.

'What's so funny?' an angry voice asked. Cara looked up to see Klaus standing in front of her. Cara wiped her mouth before answering.

'Nothing, just an inside joke,' Cara waved. She did not want him here. He probably found out about Kol this morning, and was coming to lecture her. He sat down on the other side of the table. 'Please,' Cara snapped, 'have a seat.'

Klaus ignored her. 'I heard about your little rendez-vous with my brother this morning.' Klaus stared at her, but she didn't say anything. 'I thought we made a deal?'

'Yeah, we did. You and Damon were going to keep him away from me, and I had to make sure to suppress my feelings for Kol. So, I don't see where I actually broke the deal.' She glared at him. 'Kol found me, not the other way around.''

'So Damon says,' Klaus snared. Cara rolled her eyes. 'I also heard from Damon that Kol was a perfect gentleman? I don't believe that, so I want you to tell me the truth.'

Cara shrugged. 'What do you want to know? It is the truth. He was kind to me, comforted me. He was even worried about me. But, when Damon showed, he ran off. I barely got to thank him.'

Klaus looked at her, mistrusting. 'That is so not like Kol. He didn't even break some of Damon's bones?' Cara shook her head.  
'What if there is actually a nice guy inside of him? Just like you? With an awful temper, that is, but still. Could it be?' Cara asked hopefully.


	11. (False) Hope

**(False) Hope**

Klaus shook his head. 'Cara, don't do this…'  
'Why not?' Cara said, raising her voice slightly. 'Why can there be a good guy inside of you, but not inside your brother?'  
'Because Kol never showed signs of it! He hurts for fun, takes what he wants, when he wants it. A lot of girls thought they could change him, but they all died. And I don't want you to die,' Klaus said, staring into Cara's eyes.

'Do you really think he would kill me after what he did this morning? You didn't believe he acted like that, so clearly he never has done such a thing before. Right?' Cara raised her eyebrow questioning.  
Klaus looked uncomfortable. 'Well, this morning might have been a bit out of character, but that doesn't change the fact that he is dangerous!'  
Cara shook her head. 'If he can be different for a morning, he can be different in general.' She took hold of Klaus' hand on the table.

'I'm gonna try, Klaus. I will regret it if I don't. But you know your brother best, so I do trust you to look out for me anyway. If you still want to, of course,' she added nonchalantly. Klaus smirked.

'The bloody hell I will look out for you. I seriously do not want to let you do this, but if I walk away now, you'll go behind my back, and worse things could happen.' Cara smiled. 'What does Damon think about all of this?' Klaus said slightly smiling.

Cara looked Klaus right in the eyes. 'Damon doesn't know. I haven't seen him since this morning. I do not want him to know, though. I can't bear talking about this to him, when I don't know what Kol is, or could be, like. I have to know first. I can't lay all of my doubts upon him. So, please don't tell him…' Cara pleaded.

Klaus threw his hands up in the air in a manner of defeat. 'Fine. But if something goes wrong, he will know.'

Cara nodded. 'Deal.'

'So what are you gonna do now?' Klaus asked, taking a sip of her drink. Cara grabbed her glass back.

'I don't know yet. Should I go to him, should I wait until he finds me again? Should I avoid Damon in the mean time? Or pretend everything is normal?' She sighed and slumped her shoulders.

'I can't give you advice on this. But Kol looked out of it this morning, so he'll probably find you anyway soon. But, to make things easier, you could come with me. Saying that you wanted to hang out or something. That will immediately show Kol's feelings. He only gets jealous when he wants something. If he is careless…' Klaus trailed off. Kol only was careless about a girl once before, and that was the only girl he ever had cared for, maybe even loved. Klaus and his siblings only found out about that after she died, though. Ever since, he was this monster he was now. Klaus didn't want to know what would happen if Kol loved this girl. He was so damn overprotective.

'Then what?' Cara pushed.  
'Let's just hope that's not what happens, love,' Klaus winked casually, even though all of his insides were actually scared that would happen. It would explain the numbness in Kol this morning.  
'Fine, then let's go.' She paid for her food and got up, walking out. 'She was nervous, but she needed to find out the truth. Even thinking about the possibility made her want to be with him. What made her even more nervous, was thinking about talking to Damon… She didn't want to lose him either… She straightened her shoulders and tapped her foot impatiently. Klaus just smirked at that, and together they walked to his house.

* * *

A little nervous Cara stood before the doorway. 'He's not here, love,' Klaus said, leading her in. He was probably feeding somewhere, but Klaus wasn't going to tell Cara that. It would only freak her out more.

'Want something stronger to drink?' Klaus asked. Cara nodded gratefully at that. 'One of the better things of Europe is the drinking age limit. It's much lower,' Klaus mused. Cara decided not to reply. Nobody had to know where she came from exactly. She took the glass, took a deep breath, and downed it in one gulp.

'Take it easy, love. You don't want to get drunk, do you?' Cara shrugged. She honestly didn't care. She was way to nervous. Every little noise made her jump. Kol could come home any minute, and she would be here, again. She tried to calm herself, but couldn't. Instead, she started hyperventilating.

Klaus rushed over with a bag, and ushered her to breathe into it. He held her close the entire time, so she would stay up, instead of falling over. When her breathing finally slowed down, they just kept sitting there. The resemblance with this morning was just too funny. She chuckled under her breath. Klaus rubbed her arm. 'Calmed down, love?' Cara nodded. She just sat there, focusing on her breathing, barely noticing Klaus' hand rubbing her arm, keeping her warm. She only noticed it, felt it burning, when Kol entered the room with a strange look on his face.

'Thought she wasn't your toy, brother?' Kol asked emotionless. Klaus was shocked. He was the only one the recognize the act of not caring. Kol was hurt. Nothing ever good came of that. Then it struck Klaus. Kol cared for this girl. For real. His heart sank. This was not going to end well for Cara… But he promised to let her try.

Before Klaus could reply, Kol walked out and rushed up to his room. Cara just sat there watching. She got up, motioned to Klaus she was going up, and she followed Kol.

* * *

Kol burst open the door. What was this feeling? Why was his heart burning? It hurt so bad. He even thought there were tears burning behind his eyes, but he was not going to cry. What was happening to him? Was he dying? It had all started the moment he saw Cara resting against Klaus' chest, just like she did this morning to him. That had made him feel good. This? Not so much. An growl of frustration and pain slipped his mouth and he punched the wall, leaving a hole the size of his fist.

'You might want to keep the walls up,' a voice from behind him said. He turned and saw Cara standing there. His heart started burning even more, he couldn't look at her. He turned around, looking at the window.

Cara thought this was the not-caring Klaus had talked about earlier, and obviously Klaus thought it was bad. Cara saw it as hope. It looked an awful lot like being hurt to her. She came closer and put a hand on his shoulder. He completely froze.

The moment Cara put her hand on his shoulder, the burning lessened. It took him by surprise, and he froze. When she started pulling her hand away, he held it there with his hand. He didn't want to burn again. It hurt too much. But still, otherwise than his hand, he couldn't move. He felt like a statue. Then all of a sudden he felt her moving her hand anyway, but before he could stop her, she wrapped both of her arms around his waist, holding him close. Something weird happened in his stomach. The not knowing made him angry.

Cara sighed. She was holding Kol, she actually was holding Kol! She couldn't wrap her mind around it, but damn, did that feel good. Before she could get comfortable, Kol pushed her into the wall. 'What are you doing to me!?' he growled. Cara's eyes widened in shock.

'What do you mean?' she asked breathless.  
'First you make everything inside of me burn, and then you make it go away! And then you.. you.. make my stomach feel all weird!' he hissed at her.  
Cara began smiling, but Kol's face made her stop. 'Why are you laughing!?'

'You were burning because you couldn't stand seeing me with Klaus. Then I made it go away by touching you, replacing it with the weird stomach. Is that about right?'  
Kol didn't answer, but that was answer enough for her. 'That's called having feelings. For someone, to be exact. Me, in this case.' She couldn't believe she was talking so matter-of-factly about this.

His arms began shaking. What she was saying couldn't be true, right? He didn't care for humans! Or anyone, really. Still, she knew when he had felt what, without him telling her. He just stared at her.

'You're wrong,' he said emotionlessly again. 'I don't care about humans.'

'Don't you now?' Cara said smirking. 'Mind if I try to prove you wrong?'

Kol didn't answer. What was she talking about? How could she prove him? His thoughts got interrupted by her hands on his chest, followed closely by her lips softly on his.

Her lips were exactly as he had hoped for, they matched his to perfection. What he couldn't figure out was the feeling that was rushing through him. It made him think of happiness, but that couldn't be it, right?

Cara felt the same thing. Everything fell into place. This was where she was supposed to be. The fact that Kol didn't respond, however, could mean two things. He was either stunned at her truth, or she had been completely wrong, and he was about to rage at her.

She pulled her head away, still resting her hands against his chest. She looked into his eyes, to find the internal struggle. With a shock she realized he probably never had been happy or in love before, while knowing it. She stroked the right side of his face, feeling sorry for him. She saw his eyes turn from conflict, to peace, to anger.

'Why do you make me feel these things!?' he hissed into her face. Cara decided to go out on a limb here. 'Because you love me,' she said bluntly.

Kol stared at her for a minute, processing the words she just said. He felt the truth of them, even if he didn't want to. "Love at first sight" is what humans call it. He always was disgusted by these kinds of things, and now it filled him with happiness. Something he couldn't handle very well.

Cara saw Kol's face turn into disgust, and he pulled away from her, pacing the room. Cara stayed put, hoping this was going to turn out okay. From the corner of her eye, she saw Klaus standing guard. She smiled on the inside.

A lot of thoughts were going around in Kol's head. He kept pacing, trying to make sense out of it all. But it didn't matter. The harder he tried, the more he wanted to go to her, and kiss her again. That made him angry. He wasn't in control of his body anymore. He growled out of frustration again, turned his hands into fists and turned around to look at Cara, who was still standing against the wall, watching him. That one look was what did it. He sped up to her and kissed her, while cupping her face.

Cara smiled. She knew it. She felt like the most happy being on earth, not believing that Kol was actually kissing her! Her! Cara! She threw her hands around his neck, kissing him back passionately.

When she glared at Klaus, she saw a look of utter disbelief on his face.

Klaus walked away, stunned. Kol found love again. Now all he could do, was pray Kol wouldn't hurt Cara.

* * *

**Writing this chapter made me very happy for some reason! I hope you like it! Please leave reviews, I like them :D**


	12. Confessions

**I love the reviews guys! Can't believe you all want to read more so fast!  
I know this chapter is a bit shorter, but the next one should be longer ;). However, I do have something for you!  
There is this one song, I have been listening to on repeat, while writing this story. For some reason it just suits my mood.  
You can look it up on Youtube or something, it's from the Vampire Diaries soundtrack: Courrier - Between!  
Please don't forget to review!**

* * *

**Confessions**

Kol picked Cara up and sped her to the bed, where he laid her down, hovering above her. A peaceful, loving smile, was on her face, and she looked up at him. A rush of warmth went through Kol.

Cara felt Kol's lips crushing hers again, and she smiled into it, kissing him back. But when she grabbed into his hair, a flash of Damon's face crossed her vision. She gasped and pushed Kol away.

Kol was caught by surprise as she pushed him away. He was starting to get angry, because the burning feeling was back, but then he saw her face. She looked scared, guilty. 'What is it?' he whispered.

She shook her head. She didn't want him to know. 'It's Klaus, isn't it,' Kol asked in a clipped tone, moving away from her. Cara gripped his hand.

'No, it's not Klaus…' Cara whispered, almost crying now. Kol did not know what to do with this. He looked at her questioningly, but she wasn't going to answer him.

Cara felt Kol shaking her hand off, and getting of the bed. 'So there is someone else?' Kol asked angry, a hurt tone underneath it. Cara sighed.

'It's not like that,' she said. 'When I first came here, Damon was the one there for me. I… I really liked that. I started to fall for him, and he started to fall for me… But the second I saw you, all of that didn't matter that much anymore. It was replaced by you. But Klaus told me you weren't capable of caring, let alone loving, and I decided to let you go and be happy with Damon.' She took a deep breath. 'But then you were there for me this morning, and I started wondering… What if Klaus was wrong? I needed to find out. And I did.' She smiled at him hesitantly.

'So who do you love, then?' Kol asked confused.  
'Both of you,' Cara admitted softly. 'But right now I care more about you, so please, don't get angry and ruin everything…'

'Does Damon know about all of this?' Kol asked in a restrained voice.  
'When was I supposed to tell him?' Cara countered.  
'Touché,' Kol smirked. He came closer again. 'So you promise me, you could let Damon go?'

Cara sighed. 'I don't know how I should tell him, or what he'll do, but I promise I will do everything I can. If you promise to try and control your temper.'

'That shouldn't be too hard, right?' he winked at her. Cara smiled, relieved.

'But, I should leave. Damon is counting on me for dinner, and well.. We have a lot to talk about…' Cara did so not want to have that conversation, but she knew she had to.

Kol nodded. 'I will walk you. Don't want you to get hurt.'

'That won't be necessary,' Klaus said, appearing in the doorway. 'I will walk her. That'll draw less attention to Damon, and right now, you don't want him to find out like this, now do you?' He raised an eyebrow. He could see that Kol was not happy about this, but he could also see that Kol knew he was right.

'Fine then.' He helped Cara of the bed, and gave her a small kiss. 'Will I see you tomorrow?' he whispered against her lips.

'I hope so,' she whispered right back.

* * *

'So… I guess you were wrong about Kol, Klaus!' Cara said when they were out. She danced around him, trying to annoy him as much as she could. It was working, and that was even better!

'I hope you're right. What I saw is something I have never seen before, so I also don't know what he will do. I just hope he stays on track and won't hurt you. Or Damon,' he added.

Cara looked at him. 'Why would he hurt Damon?'  
'You honestly believe Damon won't do anything to change your mind? To keep you? And even if he would let you go, you really think he'd stop hanging out with you, be your friend?' Klaus shook his head. 'Kol is awfully jealous. He'll try not to hurt Damon, because of you, but sooner or later his temper will get the better of him…' Klaus looked at her intensely. 'Just be careful, love,' he whispered.

'Be careful of what?' Damon's voice asked suspiciously, while walking up to them.  
Cara's face flushed, but Klaus remained calm.  
'She almost tripped and fell, I told her to be careful. This is not the town where you want to walk around bleeding,' Klaus smirked, lying smoothly.

Damon looked at Cara, and relaxed. She was fine, and seem better than this morning. He pulled her into an hug, and held on tight. 'I've missed you,' he muttered in to her hair.

Cara pretended not to hear them, and tried to hug him back as convincing as she could. 'Thanks for walking me home, Klaus,' she said while turning around to smile at him. In her eyes lay an whole other layer of gratitude, and she hoped Klaus would see it.

'You're welcome, love,' he smiled back at her. 'I'll be seeing you again soon, I think,' he smirked. Cara rolled her eyes and waved as she walked to the Salvatore's.

Damon noticed Cara was unusually quiet on their way back, but he didn't say anything. For all he knew she was still missing home. He rubbed her back, trying to soothe her.

Cara felt so guilty she really had to stop herself from flinching. Apparently she did it well, because Damon didn't seem to notice anything.

However, Damon felt that she tensed when he touched her, and he was eager to get to know what was going on, even though he had the feeling he would not like her answer.

When they got back, Damon asked her if she wanted to order pizza. Cara shook her head. 'I'm tired… I think I should lay down…' she murmured, while keeping her head down.

Before she could walk away, Damon grabbed her arm, and pulled her against him. 'You know you can tell me anything right?' he asked looking into her eyes. Or at least he tried to look into her eyes, because she kept them down at all times.

'I know, I just can't right now…' she said, blinking tears away. It was like her feelings for Damon were intensified now that she was with him.

Damon jerked his hands away. 'It's about Kol,' he stated. A rush of pain went through his body. 'What happened?'


	13. Confessions part Two

**Hey guys! I am so sorry for not updating yesterday, but I had to work, and go to the city, and I just did not have the time and energy to write when I got back from it all. I did write just now, and even though I did not like to write this chapter, it had to be done ;). Maybe I'll write another one tonight, but I can't promise anything!  
So I will warn you for the upcoming weekends: I update less. During the week I will update plenty, but it could be less in the weekends!**

**But, OHMYGOD, have you guys seen the latest Vampire Diaries episode? I adored it! Can't wait till next week!**

**And a big thanks for all of the people for writing the reviews (almost 20!), for following/favoriting, and for viewing, because I have over a 2000 views in total already! **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Confessions part two**

Tears started falling down Cara's cheeks, and she sat down on the couch. 'You probably need to sit down for this, Damon,' she said, with a surprisingly even voice.

Damon sat down, after pouring himself a drink. He had the feeling he was going to need it. 'So, what happened?' He asked again.

Cara told him everything, not leaving anything out. She kept crying during her story, feeling horrible as she saw Damon's face turn from scared curiosity to disgust to unimaginably hurt. 'I am so sorry,' she broke out, and began sobbing. She was crying so hard now that she couldn't speak anymore.

Damon just sat there, like a statue. At least she obviously felt guilty. But the hard part was that she admitted to still love him. She just had this feeling that Kol was the one for her. He then got unbelievably mad. Not at Cara, it wasn't her fault. He probably should've seen this coming. But at Klaus. He was supposed to keep them apart, and now this happened!

Cara saw his face turn to angry, and she got scared. 'Please say something,' she whispered, looking up at him.

Damon sighed. 'I don't know what to say. I should've seen this coming. I don't even know if it is a good thing you at least admit to loving me, still. At least I know it was real, even though it was short,' he gave her a sad smirk. Cara's heart fell. She really felt sorry. She just hoped Damon wouldn't do anything stupid. 'And I am not mad at you,' he said fast, looking at her face. 'It's Klaus. It was his job to keep you apart, and he failed.'

'Klaus wanted to comfort me. I talked him into letting me see Kol, and he thought it would be best if that were to happen at his place, where he could keep an eye on us, instead of somewhere outside with no one around.' Cara looked at Damon. 'Klaus did protect me. He was constantly there, out of sight most of the time, ready to swoop in if Kol were to do something. So he did sort of kept his end of the deal.'

Damon shook his head, not wanting to hear this. 'You probably won't want to stay here anymore?' he asked softly.

'I'd like to stay here, if you'll let me, and it isn't too hard on you…' Cara gave a small smile. This seemed to light up Damon's mood a little bit. He nodded.

'I'll be fine. I'm just glad I won't have to see you leave entirely.' Damon tried to smile. It would be nice to still have her around. It would be hard, yes, but having her close made him feel better. He wouldn't have a moment of rest if she were to stay at the Mikaelson's.

He looked around and grabbed a little bag from behind the couch. 'I, did, ehm, get you something, in the meantime,' he said, feeling awkward now.

Cara looked surprised. 'A phone!?' she squealed. 'You got me an actual phone, that works!?'

Her response made Damon smile. 'Yes, all of our phone numbers are in there, so you can call on us whenever you need us. Even Klaus is in there. You should ask him for the other numbers,' Damon said.

Cara nodded, already texting Caroline.  
**I finally have a phone! Yay! Got your number from Damon! x Cara  
**Almost immediately her phone buzzed. Cara rolled her eyes. Caroline was even worse than her boyfriend. Her boyfriend… She shook her head. She didn't have a boyfriend here.  
**Yay! Wanna meet up at the Grill tonight? I wanna hear everything! x Care  
**Cara replied with an okay, but warned Caroline that she was tired, and probably couldn't stay very long.

'I am gonna meet Caroline at the Grill in an hour or so, so I am gonna shower and get all of these tears off of me.' Damon just nodded when she walked upstairs.

While Cara was upstairs Damon left the house, heading to Klaus. Apparently Klaus was expecting him, because as soon as Damon walked up, Klaus was waiting for him.

'So I guess she told you?' Klaus asked. Not a hint of amusement there. He actually seemed worried. Damon just nodded, and he got handed a glass of bourbon. 'Come on in, mate.'

'Is Kol here?' Damon growled before stepping in. Klaus chuckled.

'No, he went out to blow off some steam. He really is confused. But I also know he didn't want Cara to leave, so there definitely is something.'

Damon nodded. 'Good. It wouldn't be pretty if I'd run into him.' This made Klaus chuckle once again.

'For you it wouldn't be. You know how Kol's temper can get.'

Damon smirked. 'I know. But I don't have a possible girlfriend to keep happy. If I'd hurt Kol, Cara would be mad at me, but as a friend, she'll probably get over it. If Kol were to hurt me… Now that's a different story. Hurting friends as a boyfriend? Sooooo not done.' He took a sip of his drink and walked into the house. Feeling better already.

'So, what brings you here?' Klaus asked. Damon looked at him.  
'I want to know what changed your mind,' Damon said. 'You promised to keep her safe and away from Kol, and yet, she talked you into it. I want to know what she said to change your mind.'

'She asked me why I could have a nice guy hidden inside of me while it was impossible for Kol. I decided to lure her to my place, where I knew Kol wouldn't be like for the next couple of hours, wanting to talk her out of it anyway. But then Kol came home early…' Klaus voice trailed off. 'And what happened next, was something I never expected to see. He cared. He seemed not to, which gives him away. Cara followed him upstairs.' Klaus sighed, looking at Damon. 'He said it burned him, seeing her with me. He was jealous. And when she touched him, he said it made his stomach feel weird.' I watched them. I watched Cara try and convince him of his feelings. Telling him that they weren't fake or weak, but true. She kissed him to convince him, and that made him pace around, conflicted. Eventually he just looked at her, and rushed back to kiss her.' Klaus shook his head. 'There was a change in my brother. He really does care for her. I have never seen him like this with his toys.' Klaus hesitated for a moment.

'What is it?' Damon asked emotionless, not liking this story.

'Even though Kol was obviously still conflicted about everything, they looked unbelievably happy. A weight seemed to have lifted from both of them… It just made sense. I let them be, and headed downstairs again, only to hear her leave shortly after. I figured she'd go to you. She seems like the honest type.'

'She is.. I admire that, even though it's not always that pleasant.' Klaus looked at him compassionately.

'I know it hurts, but I need to talk to you about this. I am still scared there is going to be a time, when, I do not know, Kol will hurt her, for whatever reason. And I do not want that to happen. We still need to keep an eye on them, especially Kol.'

'I was already planning on that,' Damon said sternly.  
Klaus laughed. 'I thought you did. But I need to warn you as well. I don't know how big Cara's hold on him is, so he could easily hurt you if he wanted to. Just be careful. Cara can't handle losing you,' Klaus said seriously.

Damon gave a quick nod. 'So she says as well. Let's just hope her hold is big enough, and that Kol will let her live. Or that if he does go off track, we'll be there for her.'

* * *

After taking a shower, Cara felt better. She knew she made the right decision, even if it hurt Damon in the process. But she did feel like they could become the very best of friends, in time, of course.

She put on her clothes again and texted Caroline she was on her way.


	14. Dream On

**All of these reviews! All of these favorites and followers! They truly make me happy, thank you so much!  
I didn't get to writing last night, I was way too tired, so I just started writing today, the second I had the time! There is a good chance though that I will update again tonight!**

* * *

**Dream On**

'Hi Cara!' Caroline said smiling, getting up to give her a big hug. Cara hugged Caroline back, thinking about how nice it was to hug someone without feeling guilty.  
'I'm so glad you could make it! I need to hear everything!'

'What do you mean?' Cara asked innocently.

Caroline tapped her foot. 'You are not going to tell me you didn't make any move today? Since you left this morning?'

Cara's face flushed and Caroline looked triumphantly. 'See! I knew it! Spill!'

'Fine,' Cara obliged. 'After I left, I went to the Grill, to grab something to eat. I hadn't eaten yet and I was starving. While I was sitting there, Klaus came storming up to me. He heard about the encounter that morning, and was kind of furious. He wanted to know what happened, since he didn't believe Damon. I confirmed what Damon had said, since it actually was the truth. He was mad at me for supposedly breaking our deal, which I didn't. If anyone did, it was him. But, since Kol was so nice, I asked Klaus about it. He said there wasn't anything good in Kol, which I rejected immediately. Cause if there wasn't, this morning would've gone differently, don't you think?' Caroline nodded, urging Cara to go on. 'So, I compared him to Kol. Klaus can be a nice guy, so why can't his brother be too? I told Klaus I was going to find out either way, and he agreed to help me, and look out for me. He took me to his place, to wait for Kol. I think Klaus rather had us meet somewhere he could keep an eye on us, instead of out in the open. When Kol arrived, everything went by really fast…' Cara explained what had happened, and how happy she felt when Kol kissed her back. 'It was… It was like this magical feeling, Caroline! Everything felt right, everything fell into place! You should've seen the look on Klaus' face, it was priceless!'

Caroline chuckled. 'I can believe so! But, Kol actually kissed you back?' Her eyes were round with disbelief.

Cara nodded. 'He was conflicted big time. He said I had made him burn when I sat downstairs, while Klaus was holding me after I hyperventilated. He was jealous! He doesn't get the feelings, he has been shoving them away for too long, but he has them. And that is good enough for me.'

Caroline shook her head. 'Kol, jealous. I am really happy for you, Cara!' she said, but then gave her a cautious smile. 'Have you talked to Damon about this already?'

Cara's face fell. 'I did. Klaus walked me home, to raise as little suspicions as we could, and Damon walked in to us. He noticed something was wrong straight away, and it took him only one guess to find out it had something to do with Kol…'

Caroline grabbed Cara's hand on the table. 'Did you tell him the truth?'

'It seemed the best option. I don't think lying would've made things better. I told him everything, about how I still loved him, but probably loved Kol more.'

Caroline gasped. 'How did he take it?'

'He obviously wasn't pleased to hear it, but he said he should've seen it coming. He was unbelievably mad at Klaus, though. I defended Klaus, but Damon left as soon as I went upstairs. I hope they just talked it out, without hurting one or another.' Cara sighed. 'I just hope we can be friends, after all of this has cooled down. I don't want to lose Damon, and I don't think he could bear to lose me completely.'

Caroline smiled. 'I am truly happy you found Kol, and I hope you and Damon will be friends, because I still think Damon would do anything for you!' Caroline's smile wavered. 'By the way, you talk about Klaus as if he is this great guy. You even defended him! Don't you know what he has done?'

'I know what he has done, but he has done nothing wrong with me. The only complaint I can come up with is that he is overprotective of me, for whatever reason. It feels like a big brother, and I like it. He's actually fun to be around! Which is good, because if I am to see more of Kol, I surely will see more of Klaus.' Cara winked. 'You should give him a chance, really. You could just be very close friends, you wouldn't have to betray your love to Tyler!'

Caroline looked unconvinced. 'You really think he is a nice guy? I mean, he said he would kill Tyler when he found him! That's horrible!'

Cara smirked. 'And isn't he looking for Tyler thoroughly?'

Caroline just sat there. 'He isn't,' she whispered. 'Why?' She looked into Cara's eyes.

'Because he does care about you, which you probably know, even if you haven't admitted it to yourself yet, and by killing Tyler he surely isn't getting into your good graces.'

Caroline shook her head. 'Klaus doesn't care about anything,' she said firmly. Cara smiled at this, because she heard the insecurity behind it. _You're welcome, Klaus,_ she thought smug.

The girls just sat there, finishing their drinks. 'I am going to go now, I am truly exhausted. It's gonna be a hard day tomorrow,' Cara said, her face sour.

She said her goodbyes to Caroline and went back home.

* * *

She was not surprised to find Damon gone when she got back, but she was surprised to find Stefan and Elena. She tried to sneak past them, but of course she had no such luck.

'Cara! You haven't met Elena yet, have you?' Stefan yelled after her. After muttering some horrible things, she smiled and turned around.

'No I haven't. Pleasure to meet you,' she said as convincing as she could. She wasn't the biggest fan of Elena. Elena nodded and gave her a beautiful smile.

Cara looked at them and saw there was something wrong. 'Okay, spill. I am tired, and I do not have time for these little games. Just get it off your chests.' She folded her arms and stared at them.

Stefan sighed. 'Damon was right about you. You are hard to hide things from.' When he stopped Cara looked at Elena, raising an eyebrow.

'We heard about Kol,' Elena said softly. 'Damon told us, he was quite harsh about it, so he is hurt as hell. He also told us Klaus was still worried about you. But Klaus is not the only one. We all are,' Elena said, looking sincere.

Cara shook her head. 'I kissed him, once. Then he kissed me, once. It's not like we're getting married next week!' Cara yelled in frustration. 'Look, I appreciate you guys looking all out for me, but nothing truly happened yet.'

'Klaus seems to think a lot happened. He said he saw something change in Kol,' Stefan explained.

'And nobody figured that this change could be a good thing?' Cara countered.

They both just stared at her.

'Right. Well, I am going to bed, since I am exhausted. It will be a miracle if I will be able to get out of bed tomorrow. Good night,' she growled and stomped up the stairs.


	15. Bad Day

**Hi everyone! My second chapter for today! And I am really tired, and I hope tomorrow will be a good day, because I have to fold my papers for my paper round tomorrow or Wednesday. So I want to apologize for maybe not updating tomorrow, because I will be too tired. When I'm too tired everything is just numb, and I can't write like that ;). Hope you enjoy and review this one anyway!**

* * *

**Bad Day**

When Cara woke up from yet another disturbing dream about her pets, sweating like crazy, she gave up. She checked the time and sighed when it was only 8 am. She dropped herself back on her pillow, and stared at the ceiling, feeling everything pulling her down. Just like she expected it was going to be a horrible day. She had to stay in bed most of the day, or she'd be like this for a week.

Grunting she got herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Unfortunately her bladder didn't agree on staying in bed. She caught her breath and when she was finished she staggered to her bed, collapsing through her week knees halfway. She punched the floor out of frustration, and angrily she wiped a tear way. She just sat there, couldn't get herself up again.

Then in a rush Damon was there, looking worried at her. 'What happened?'

'My knees gave way,' Cara murmured. Even her mouth wouldn't work probably. Inside she felt numb. Everything from the day before had exhausted her. And even though she felt numb, she knew she was on emotional overload right now.

Damon picked her up and laid her on her bed again. 'Having a bad day, huh?' he smirked.

'It's NOT funny, Damon!' Cara snapped. 'This is horrible! You're a vampire, you can't even begin to understand what I am going through! I can't even go to the toilet and back without falling over, because my body is so exhausted!' Angrily she kept wiping the tears away that kept falling out of frustration.

Damon brushed her hair out of her face. 'You just rest today. I'll make sure you'll have food and such. You'll feel better tomorrow,' he soother.

'Will I?' Cara snapped. 'This could last a week!' She thought about Kol. He already thought humans were fragile and weak, and she was even worse… And now she wasn't even able to see him, because of her stupid disease! And he is gonna think she rejected him, and fall back into his old patterns. _If he hadn't already._ She pushed that thought aside and looked at Damon.

'A week?' he whispered in horror. 'That must be awful…' Cara didn't reply, and rolled over so her back faced Damon. She felt too miserable to talk more. She heard Damon leave, and she took her phone.

**Klaus, could you tell Kol that I can't come over today?... I am not feeling well. Cara**

She felt even more like crap thinking of not seeing Kol. The least she could do was at least warn him.

**Oh, and sorry if I woke you up!**

**Don't worry about the time, love. But what's wrong? I'm sure Kol won't be pleased about this.**

Cara sighed. Of course he wouldn't be. But he wouldn't understand either. She didn't know what to send back. She couldn't just explain this by texting. She put her phone away again, and slowly fell back asleep. She didn't notice the text message coming in.

**What's wrong!? Please answer me!  
Cara!  
Cara, if you don't answer me right now, I'm coming over!  
Fine. See you in 5.**

Cara woke up to shouts coming from downstairs. But she was way too tired to recognize the voices. She heard the voices coming closer, and recognized them as Damon's and Klaus'. What the hell was Klaus doing here? She picked up her phone, and slumped. Jeez, could she be any more stupid?

Her door burst open, and she cringed at the sound. 'Klaus, she needs her rest, get back here!' Damon shouted angrily.

'Not before I know what's wrong with her. Maybe I can help her!' Klaus snapped.  
'Vampire blood won't help her, Klaus,' Damon sounded exhausted. 'Not even your hybrid blood.'

'How do you know?' Klaus snarled.

'Because it's not physical,' Cara whispered, knowing that they could hear her. 'When you'd put me through every test in a hospital, you'd come up with nothing. There is nothing TO heal.'

Klaus noticed how sad she sounded. 'Are you… dying?'

Cara chuckled. 'If this is what dying feels like, I can handle it. But no, I'm not dying. I am just… tired.' She did not have the energy to explain everything, so she looked at Damon pleadingly.

As Damon started to explain to Klaus what was wrong with her, she curled up under her blankets once more. Halfway through the story, she felt someone sitting on her bed. She peeked to find out it was Klaus. He stroked her hair out of her face, looking extremely sorry.

'That is horrible… I am so sorry you have to endure this for the smallest of things…' Klaus actually felt horrible about this. He knew humans were weak, but he never saw something like this. He always thought he wouldn't care, but Cara became like a little sister to him, and he couldn't stand to see her so broken. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it must feel like to literally not be able to do anything. And the fact that he couldn't help her was too much to bear.

Cara was amused by this Klaus. She took her hand, tried to squeeze it, while seeing his face turn even more sympathetic, and tried to reassure him. 'I'll be fine, don't worry,' she said, smiling.

'You want me to call Caroline?' Damon asked, breaking the moment between Klaus and Cara.

'Oh God no,' Cara said, laughing. 'I love her, but I cannot take her energy right now!'

'What about Kol?' Damon asked, clearly pushing the words out of him unwillingly.

'I don't think that's a good idea… This is not really the girl he kissed last night now, is it?'

'I think it is an excellent idea!' Klaus surprised her. 'I mean, this is like the ultimate test. Instead of the fiery girl he has met, he can now see the other side of you. If he truly, really cares about you, he will be worried and flustered and all. Even angry at the world for doing this to you,' Klaus chuckled. 'But, if he loses interest, or doesn't care, I am sorry, but then it was just a onetime thing, and not real.'

Cara nodded, thinking this over. Klaus was right. But it would also be torture for Damon.

'Don't worry about Damon, love. I could use his help today anyway, and if Kol's feelings are real and not imaginative, you wouldn't need or want us here. ' Klaus winked at her. Hoping Kol's feelings would be true. Right now, she probably would lose it if they weren't.

'Okay, then,' she said. Feeling a little scared now.

'You want to call him yourself?' Klaus asked, holding out his phone. 'You can add the number to your own phone later.'

She took the phone and called Kol.

_'What is it brother? Checking up on me again? I've told you, I'm not going anywhere. Wouldn't want to miss Cara if she were to come by.'_ He sounded annoyed.

Cara's heart fluttered. At least this was really sweet already.

'Ehm, Kol, it's not Klaus… It's Cara,' she said nervously. It stayed quiet on the other side. She could only imagine what he felt right now. Totally embarrassed for one. If Kol did embarrassed anyway.

_'Cara!'_ his voice filled with nervous joy. '_Why are you calling me from Klaus' phone?'  
_'I don't know your number, so I asked him.'  
_'Why is he even with you in the first place?'_ his voice filled with jealousy.  
'He needs Damon help with something,' she lied smoothly. 'But, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to come over.' Silently she prayed he'd say yes.  
'_You're at the Salvatore's?'  
_'Yes, I am. So… I'll see you soon?'

'Yeah, I'll be there in a sec.' In a rush Kol hang up. All of a sudden he had lost his cool, and was doubting if his clothes were right. Gosh, this was not working out for him. Without further thinking he stormed out and raced over to the Salvatores.

* * *

Kol knocked on the door, and looked around nervously. He was surprised to see Damon open the door for him.

'Is this some trick?' Kol snarled at him. 'You let Cara call me, just so you can annoy me?'

Damon chuckled. 'As much as I would love to try and talk you out of seeing Cara anymore, that's not why I am here. You see, Cara is not able to answer the door right now.'

Kol was confused. 'What do you mean? Not able to?' After looking at Damon for a second, he got worried. 'What's wrong with her?' he snapped at Damon. 'Where is she?'

'She's upstairs. Klaus is still with her, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding her.'

Kol ran upstairs and bolted into the room. Klaus got up, squeezed Cara's hand one more time and left the room, giving his brother a pat on the shoulder.

Cara knew Klaus wasn't going far. They'd be right in the other room, making sure Kol wouldn't do anything stupid.

Kol just stared at Cara lying in bed, looking so tiny and fragile. Instead of disgusted by the weakness, he felt worried. 'What happened to you?' he said while rushing forward, kneeling to her bedside.

'Just having a bad day, nothing new,' she said while trying to smirk. She failed.

'A bad day of what?' Kol asked persistent.

Once again Cara launched into the short version of the explanation. She was afraid to look in his eyes, afraid of what she might see, even though she felt his eyes burning on her.


	16. Too Good to be True

**Hello there! Viewings are going down, but I still got reviews :D! Thanks so much for them! And even if there is only just one person reading this, I will keep on writing!  
Don't hesitate to ask me things in the reviews, or to speculate!**

* * *

**Too Good to be True**

Kol just stared at Cara. What she was telling him was awful. She couldn't even lead a normal human life. He felt sorry for her, big time.

'The only way to get rid of the disease is to become a vampire,' Cara joked.

Kol's head jerked up. 'You're joking, right?' He said, even though he felt a bit hopeful. If that was a way for her to lead an at least more normal life, she should have it.

Cara nodded. 'I guess. I mean, I don't know what would happen if I ever got back home. And actually, I might despise my disease, but the good days… I like my life on the good days… I don't know if I want to give that up…'

'It's fine. You don't have to make a decision right now, or ever if you don't want to. Just wanted to make sure,' Kol winked and took her hand.

'So, what do you want to do?' Kol said, while getting up.

'Well, I can't really do anything, now can I?' Cara said sarcastically.

'I know, I know! I just mean if you wanted to play a game, watch a movie…You name it!'

'So you actually want to stay?' Cara asked hesitantly.

Kol's face got serious and he nodded. 'I've been thinking about last night, whole night. I couldn't sleep. I could only think about you, and not being able to see you, made me feel miserable. When I asked Klaus about it, he said that that was love. That is was amazing when you're with that person, but that it's awful when you're not. And he is right. I do feel amazing now! Since you called I've been on overdrive, and right now, I just want to spend a fun day with you. Who cares you can't come out of bed?' Kol was smirking at her again, but fell when he saw her crying.

'What is it? Is it something I said? Are you okay?' He asked, all worried.

Cara smiled through her tears, got up, grabbed the front his shirt, and pulled him down. She made his lips crash on hers. 'I just love you, that's all,' she whispered, before kissing him again.

Kol quickly regained and slowly lay her back down on her pillow. He broke the kiss, walked around the bed and climbed in on the other side. Cara immediately scooted over and snuggled up against his chest.

'You, just, love me?' Kol said surprised. Cara looked up, confused. 'Just, love me? Like it's no big deal?' Cara shrugged. 'No one has ever really loved me… Like this, I mean.'

Cara touched his cheek. 'Well, but I do, so get used to it!' She said while nudging his nose with a smile. Even though she was keeping it cool, inside she was terrified. She said she loved him. Like, seriously?

'I guess will have to, then. But on one condition,' he said, stroking Cara's hair out of her face.

'What is it?' Cara mumbled.

'You will have to get used to me loving you back,' he whispered in her ear, before softly nibbling her ear.

Cara gasped, and threw her arms around him. 'I can do that, should be simple,' she muttered against his chest.

Kol laughed and put his arms around her. He still didn't know what to do with all of these feelings, but he felt the words he just said to be true.

'Well, Damon, I guess we are no longer needed here,' Klaus said, standing up from the chair. 'I don't see my brother hurting her anytime soon. Which is a good thing, because I actually could use your help with something.'

Damon turned around, a guarded look on his face. 'I guess you're right,' he said clipped. He had heard everything clearly. The kissing, the exchange of "I love you"… It made him want to punch something.

As he was about to, Klaus stopped him. 'Easy, now, Damon. Don't want to ruin their day, now do you?'

Damon shrugged him off and walked out, Klaus following behind, chuckling.

After they raided the Salvatore's place, they found that the brothers didn't have any games. Kol found a deck of cards, and he threatened he would own her at every card game she chose.

Cara gleefully accepted his challenge, and let him win the first few games. Little did he know, that she was the one to beat back home. After he got his confidence on, she started crushing him.

He stared at her blankly. 'You let me win, didn't you?' Cara snickered at how astounded he looked.

She shrugged. 'Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.' She smirked up at him, and avoided a pillow coming her way.

'Hey! Watch it! Fragile human here!' Kol rolled his eyes at her.

'Fine. Rematch. Pick a game, any one you like, I'll beat you.'

'Will you now? I am fairly certain you have never heard of the game we are about to play,' Cara smiled. 'Go! Go! Go!' she answered his unspoken question. When she saw his confused face, she laughed.

'See! I knew it. But, this is a game you can't really be good at. At first it is, but then it just all comes down to luck. Which makes it extremely fun. Or frustrating,' she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

Kol laughed. 'What are the rules?'

Cara explained the rules carefully. They seemed hard, but they were actually quite easy. You just have to know them.

Kol nodded. 'Bring it on!'

After 4 games they were tied. Both had won 2 times.

'Let's make the next game a little more interesting, shall we?' Kol asked.

'What did you have in mind?' Cara asked suspiciously.

'Well, we are tied now, and the next game will conjure a winner. And a loser,' he smirked.

'How about, whoever loses, takes off his or her shirt?' Kol asked, smiling viciously.

Cara thought about it. She had pretty good chances. Every time she had won, she won big. Whenever Kol had won, he had won just barely.

'Deal,' she said.

Kol dealt the cards, and Cara felt desperate when she looked at her cards, facing her up. She just prayed that the ones facing down were awesome enough to make her win. If she ever got through the ups. Thankfully, Kol's weren't great either.

The pace was fast, and in no time they ran out of stock. The stack still up for grabs was small, which could be a good thing. Or a horrible thing.

They both felt the tension and the game got even more heated. Kol got to his ups first, but failed miserably, which made it fairly easy for Cara to play hers. Of course her luck ran out, and she took the stack.

'Get ready to take it off,' Kol said smirking.

'You wish! Anything could be in your down cards!' She prayed that the Ace and the Two that were still in the game were in hers.

Eventually they made it to their down cards, and it was a close call. It was Kol's last card, but it was also hers. If Kol's card failed, she would win. Did Kol's card succeed, she'd have a slim chance to beat it. The Ace and the Two had already been played, and she did not know what could still be there.

Kol played, and barely succeeded. He had to have a 6 or higher. Or a 2, but those were all out. He played a 7.

He smirked at her. 'Now come on, just play the last card. I can't wait for you to take your shirt off!'

Cara rolled her eyes, and with a sinking feeling played her last card. It was a 5. She sighed. Of course she'd lose this game.

Kol's grin got wider. 'You lost fair and square. Now, we had a deal?'

Cara got nervous. What if he didn't like her?

Kol saw her hesitating, and threw the cards aside. He came closer and put his arms around her. 'Here, let me help you,' he said hoarsely, while kissing her neck up and down.

Butterflies rummaged her stomach, and she gave him room to kiss her neck. She felt his hands fumble on her pajama-shirt and pull it up. She raised her arms and he pulled it over her head. Thankfully she still had her bra on, which, luckily, was a pretty one.

He threw her shirt away and looked at her. Cara saw his eyes darken, and fill up with lust. _I guess he likes it._

He crushed his lips on hers and pulled her into a laying position, while hovering above her. His hands trailed her body, and all Cara could do was tremble with pleasure.

She intertwined her fingers in Kol's hair and pulled him down completely. She reveled in the feel of his body on hers. She fumbled at his shirt too and took it off of him, silently gasping at the look of his chest.

They kissed once more, quite roughly, their tongues exploring each other.

Kol broke away, and whispered: 'You don't have to do anything you don't want to do.'  
'I know,' Cara said and kissed him again, trailing his upper body with her hands.

Kol growled out of pleasure, and he started kissing her neck again. Cara felt him tense, and looked over to see what was wrong. He tried to pull away, but she didn't let him. She saw his vampire face, his fangs growing.

They quickly disappeared. 'I'm sorry,' he muttered, angry at himself.

'Don't be,' Cara whispered as she kissed him gently on the places where the veins just were. She pulled him down again, and even though he put up a fight, he soon surrendered.

When Cara felt they were getting into the same place they were before, she just slightly moved her head. Kol kissed her in her neck again, as Cara moaned. This was just amazing… How weird, how something so simple could feel so good!

As Kol started to change again, she moved her head even more, exposing her neck completely. Kol looked at her, and she just smiled up at him, tracing the veins on his face with her fingers. She saw his decision just a split-second before he made it, and she felt a little nick in her neck.

Surprisingly it didn't hurt. The feeling of him drawing some of her blood felt just like donating blood for tests. Not entirely too uncomfortable. She decided she liked it. It felt like part of it all.

She stroked Kol's hair, and slowly he came back up. 'Did I hurt you?' he asked worried.

Cara shook her head. 'You didn't, don't worry,' she smiled.

He bit into his wrist. 'Here, drink some. It'll heal the wound and restore your little blood loss.'

She swallowed it, and was amazed. It didn't actually taste that bad. _Freak_. She felt her wounds closing, and the energy of the new blood kicking in.

'Thanks,' she smiled up at him. 'Would you be a dear and get rid of those cards so I can snuggle up against you?' She said while putting on her shirt again.

'Sure,' he said while moving to get his own shirt. Cara took it and tossed it away.

'You won't be needing that,' she smirked.


	17. Calm Water

**Hey guys! I am terribly sorry for the late update, but I have been extremely busy & tired, and it's not gonna be any better soon, but I am gonna try my best to update as much as I can! But sometimes, I have no clue it has been this long since the last chapter, so if you send me a message, or a review, I get notified :D!**

**So, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and you'll keep reviewing me!**

* * *

**Calm Water**

Kol rolled his eyes at her, and threw the cards on the ground. He got into bed again, and pulled Cara close. She snuggled up against him, and felt every inch of stress slip away from her. She felt incredibly happy.

Kol could feel her body relaxing, and he kept stroking her back, smiling himself. He loved how Cara could semi-boss him around. He loved how she.. No, just scratch that. He loved her.

Slowly Cara fell into a dreamless sleep, exhausted from the few card games. Kol obviously noticed, and he finally let himself rest as well, knowing that Cara was close.

* * *

Damon got back from Klaus around 6 pm, carrying pizza boxes. He didn't know whis flavor Cara liked, so he brought a few. He was still angry at Klaus for dragging him along, for his help, while he really didn't need any. He stopped and listened, and tensed when he didn't hear a heartbeat, or any sound at all really.

'The son of a bitch did not take her away,' he whispered angrily. _Or killed and left her,_ a voice in his head pitched in.

He ran up and opened the door, ready to shout at who- or whatever. However, what he found made him unbelievable quiet. Cara was peaceful. There was not a care in the world present on her face. She smiled and was snuggled up to Kol, who was holding her. Kol, too, fell asleep, also with a smile on his face.

Unfortunately, Kol was also a vampire, so he heard the door open. He opened his eyes, and saw Damon standing there, baffled. Normally he would snap something at him, but Cara had a calming effect on him.

'Sorry,' he whispered. 'She fell asleep, couldn't just leave her like that.' Kol tried to shrug, but only managed half.

Damon shook his head. 'It's okay, I guess. But, I brought pizza for dinner, so you might want to wake her up.' He turned on his heels and walked downstairs.

* * *

Cara felt a little tugging on her arm, but she refused to fully wake up. She shook her arm until the person let go, and chuckled. She rolled to her side, and soon felt two strong arms around her. 'It's dinner time, love,' she heard someone whisper in her ear. With a startle she realized it was Kol holding her, and talking sweetly to her.

She pretended to be asleep, even though she guessed he already had noticed her heartbeat quicken, and snuggled back into his cage of arms.

'I know you're up dear,' Kol said chuckling. 'Damon brought pizza, so if you want it to still be warm when you eat it…'

Cara jumped up and out of bed, hitting Kol in the face while doing so. 'OW! What was that for?!' he complained. Cara just stood there, looking at him. Then she burst out laughing.

'Hahahaha, I am really sorry, did not mean to do that!' She wiped away a few tears and started looking for her clothes.

'What's with the energy?' Kol asked suspicious.

'Pizza. I love pizza! But it has to be hot to be delicious! So I have to hurry!'

Kol just looked at her. 'You had no energy at all, and now you're this overactive kid?'

Cara stopped and thought this over. 'I don't know. Must have to do something with your blood in my system. It probably just gave me an energy rush. Feels nice, though. Has been a while!'

She went into the bathroom and changed quickly. She got up and saw to her disappointment that Kol had put his shirt back on. Kol grinned at her expression. He liked being worshipped. This was even better, she loved him, instead of just falling for his looks.

Kol bent over to pick up the last cards and put them in the box.

'Pizza time!' Cara shouted and she ran downstairs. Kol just chuckled and followed her.

* * *

Damon looked up surprised to see a whirlwind of hair coming down the stairs, followed by a chuckling vampire.

'Hi! Heard you got pizza!' Cara said a little loudly when she stopped in front of him. Damon's heart warmed at the sight of her like this. He quickly brushed it off though. He might not like Kol much, he would lose a fight any day.

He smirked. 'Heard from Klaus that you love Italian food. And it just doesn't get any more Italian than pizza, I thought.' He held up his hands. 'I just didn't know what flavor to get you, so I brought several.' He opened up the boxes one by one. 'Margarita, figured everyone would at least like that one,' he snickered. 'Salami, Funghi and the one with Four Cheeses,' he smiled.

Cara raised an eyebrow. 'Salvatore is Italian right?' Damon nodded, dreading what was coming, in a fun way. 'Then why the hell can't you say the Italian name of the pizza?'

Damon ignored her question with a smile. 'So, which one do you like?' Cara looked the pizzas over.

'All of them,' she said happily. 'I despise the Hawaii pizza, but that one isn't here, so that's good!'

'Hawaii?' Kol asked curious. He didn't want to be the third wheel here, so he should at least get into the conversation.

'Yeah, it is basically a Margarita pizza, with ham and pineapple. And since warm fruit is just too gross…' Cara shrugged. 'It's just disgusting, in my opinion.' She looked around at the two guys.

'Okay, so, it's dinner time. Kol can stay if he wants, we have enough pizza anyway. But, I don't want it to be extremely tense in here. Both of you,' she glared at them, 'behave, and act nicely. I need you two to get along.'

Kol and Damon looked at each other and nodded, obviously not liking this.

'Good!' Cara exclaimed, while clapping her hands. 'Now let's eat!'

* * *

'God, I was starving!' Cara said, while exhaling. She ate way too much, but the pizzas were just too delicious. She was pleasantly surprised to see how much Kol ate.

'Well, you hadn't eaten before, so it's quite normal,' Damon chuckled. 'And Kol, bet you never had a pizza before?' Damon asked curiously, with only a hint of a smirk.

Kol smirked right back at him. 'Indeed, never, actually. I had heard of them, seen them, but never actually had one. And I can see why Cara adores Italian food, it is exquisite.' He pulled Cara in for a hug, but she struggled to get away.

'I ate too much, I need my space,' she giggled. 'I'm sorry!'

Kol just smiled reassuringly at her. 'Shall we go throw away the boxes, Damon?' he suggested.

Damon nodded, and they got up to throw them away outside.

'I only tolerate you because Cara asked me to, you know that right?' Kol asked as soon as they were out. He faced Damon. 'I still don't like you.'

Damon chuckled. 'Good, 'cause I don't like you that much either.' He slapped Kol on the back friendly, and walked back in.

Kol followed soon and knew that he and Damon had like a truce between them. As long as Cara wanted them to get along, everything would be fine. But as soon as she would get hurt…

'So… What's next?' Kol asked. 'The day isn't over, and you seem to have a lot of energy.'

'Where is this energy coming from, anyway?' Damon asked.

'Well, ehm, Kol bit me. In a good way!' she interrupted Damon's attempt of cutting her off. 'And then he fed me some of his blood to heal that, and restore my blood loss. Which was LITTLE,' she emphasized. 'And ever since I woke up, I have had this energy rush. Which is nice for a change.'

'You bit her?' Damon growled at Kol.

Kol held up his hands in defense. 'The first time I drew away. I didn't want to. Well, I wanted to, but, not if she didn't, you know? And the second time, she let me know it was okay, and even then, I still struggled! But she really didn't mind, even moved her head extra… So, yeah, I bit her. Isn't that part of the entire love thing for vampires?' Kol raised an eyebrow.

'You did not!' Damon yelled in shock at Cara.

Cara chuckled. 'Oh, Damon, please. You really think I'd have sex with him? After two days? That's just too pathetic. We were just making out, Damon, really. Don't worry,' She cringed at his look. 'I'm sorry, I know you don't want to hear this…'

Damon shook his head. 'It's okay.. I should learn to deal with this, if we are to be friends,' he smiled.

'I should go,' Kol said. 'Klaus probably can't wait to interrogate me about our day, to see if I have been good.' He rolled his eyes. 'I put my phone number in your phone, so you can call or text me anytime.' He winked, gave Cara a quick kiss on her head, and left.


	18. Holding You Close

**Hey guys! So many views, and only one review :(? Please keep reviewing me, I love it! And give me your honest opinion!**

* * *

**Holding You Close**

'So…' Cara said, while swaying, looking at Damon. 'That wasn't the least bit awkward, now was it?'

Damon smirked. 'Could've been worse. He really likes you though. It's almost disturbing to see. He never looks at someone or something like that. I guess I could tolerate him, but only for you.' He smirked. 'And it was hilarious to see how he liked his pizza.'

Cara laughed. 'Don't make fun of him! It was adorable!'

Damon's face got serious. 'Cara, I will tolerate him, for you, I really will. But if he so much does something that hurts you in any way, I will do something.'

Cara nodded. 'I know… And I guess that's a good thing. I might love him, and he seems to be loving me back, but it's still Kol. He's still one of the most impulsive and unpredictable beings on this planet.'

She turned on her heels. 'I'm going to go upstairs, I'll see you tomorrow!'

* * *

**Had Kol over today. It was like a dream, such a wonderful day! He took care of me, we had fun… I think I love him… xx Cara**

_Really! Aww that's amazing! Never thought he'd be the caring type. And love? Cara, are you sure? You just met him, and love is something huge.. xx Caroline  
_**Me neither! But apparently he can be! And I'm not sure yet, but I miss him already, even though he's been gone for only 15 minutes now. Should I call him?  
**_Hmm.. Whatever it is, you got it bad! You shouldn't call him, though! Don't wanna look desperate, do you now? Maybe a casual text?  
_**You're right! Thanks, Caroline! You're the best!  
**_I know ;)_

Cara smiled and put her phone away. She rolled over and checked the time. It was way too early to go to sleep, but she was exhausted. She decided to send Kol a goodnight message, and to turn off her phone.

**Had a fun day today! Going to sleep now, nightynight! Xx Cara**

* * *

As Klaus was ranting about him biting Cara, Kol felt his phone buzz. He still wasn't quite used to that, but he was immediately curious who would text him. Cara, maybe? Even the thought of this made him even more eager to check his phone. However, he knew that Klaus would explode if he would. He just sat there, nodding at the right times, apologizing at the right times… Not that he really listened to what Klaus had to say. Of course he would be careful. Of course he wouldn't hurt Cara.

He did enjoy watching Klaus getting all upset about this girl. Surprisingly he didn't feel jealous right now. Klaus was obviously being a big brother right now.

When Klaus finally set him free, he rushed up to his room.

He heart practically skipped a beat at seeing a text from Cara. He hoped she would feel better tomorrow… Maybe he could take her out to dinner? Or to a movie? Dozens of scenarios played through his head.

He quickly texted her back:  
_A fun day? I had an exquisite day! Hope to re-do it soon! Sleep well, my beauty. Love, Kol_

He didn't know if she would see it right now, but he did know this would make her blush and smile when she did.

He decided to go outside and take a stroll, thinking of maybe some more ideas for things to do.

* * *

Lost in thought Kol wandered around town. When he was thinking about what Cara would rather get as a gift, he got cut off. Annoyed he looked up.

'Mind your step, please,' he snapped.

'Well, well, brother. No need to be unfriendly.'

Kol looked up in surprise. 'Elijah,' he stated.

Elijah chuckled. 'The one and only.'

Kol rolled his eyes. 'What do you want?'

'I received word about a girl in your life? Clara?'

'Cara!' Kol hissed in his brothers face.

'You sure are protective of her. Maybe Niklaus was right.' Elijah pondered.

Of course Klaus told Elijah. Kol sighed. 'Klaus is keeping an eye on me, don't worry. But for now he seems to have backed off. So, now, why are you here?'

Elijah shrugged. 'You're family. I am extremely curious about this girl of yours. I'd like to meet her.'

Anger flashed through Kol's eyes. 'You can't. She's tired.'

'Oh dear brother, not right now. That would be ridiculous, it's way past midnight. I was thinking tomorrow?'

Kol growled. He wasn't going to get out of this. Best to just play along nicely. It's not like Cara didn't know who Elijah was. She knew who all of them were. He tried to forget that, though. He wanted to have the most fresh start he could get.

'Fine,' Kol snapped. 'If she is able to meet us, anyway. I'll text her in the morning, asking to have lunch with us at the Grill. That fancy enough for you?' Kol looked Elijah up and down, always in a suit.

'Whatever suits you, brother. I'll see you there around noon tomorrow, then?'

When Kol nodded, Elijah strolled away.

* * *

Cara woke up, to see she did not have one text from Kol, but two! Her heart leaped and she opened them quickly. Her heart melt at his reply, wasn't he just the cutest? The second was more disturbing. He asked if she was okay, and up for, with having lunch with him and Elijah, around noon.

She didn't know why Elijah would like to meet her, but she did know she adored his character. If he only resembled him a little bit, this would be an amusing afternoon.

She glanced at the clock and gasped. It was 11:30! She quickly texted Kol that she would be there, but might run a bit late.

She changed, and did her make up at a record-tempo, and was thankful for whoever was up there, that she had a good day.

'Late for something?' Damon smirked from the kitchen, as she rushed by.

'Lunch with Kol and Elijah,' she muttered, as she gulped down some water.

'Well, have fun,' Damon said, shaking his head smiling. He knew that Cara knew both of them from her show, and she had met the 'real-Kol'. He was anxious to know if Elijah lived up to his character.

'Thanks,' Cara said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. She surprised herself with this. It was just something she used to do with her friends. Her friends weren't crushing on her, though. She ignored it and ran outside.

* * *

'I'm sorry I'm late!' Cara gasped as she ran to booth Elijah and Kol were sitting. They were both smiling amused at her. 'Not funny. I had to run here,' she snapped.

She sat down and took a sip of the closest drink to her.

'Who said you could?'

'I did. I'm thirsty. Good stuff, though.' She looked at Elijah. 'Guessing you're Elijah?'

'Indeed I am. It is a pleasure to meet you, Cara,' Elijah smiled.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' She was still trying to catch her breath. 'So, what did he tell you?'

Elijah chuckled. 'Not much, but I can see you do have fire in you.'

Cara rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, burning up inside, or something.'

Elijah laughed. 'And what did he tell you about me?' He raised an eyebrow at Kol, who was extremely amusing himself. Would Cara tell Elijah, or just play him? He would love to see his brother get played, though.

'Nothing, really. Even though I know you pretty well,' she smirked.

'Oh?' Elijah asked amused. 'How so?'

'Where would be the fun in just telling you?' she raised her eyebrow.

'I guess there wouldn't be,' Elijah laughed. He liked this girl. She was perfect for Kol.

'So, lovebirds, shall we order something to eat? I am starving,' Kol interrupted their little conversation, waving to a waitress.

'Sure. I, ehm, will have, ehm, a ham and cheese and eggs sandwich. Sunny side up,' Cara said. 'Oh, and an Ice Tea, please.'

The guys ordered their food, the same for Elijah and a pizza for Kol. Cara snickered.

'What's so funny,' Elijah asked, looking from Cara's amused face to Kol's grumpy one.

'He had pizza last night for the first time, and he loved it. It's just adorable he orders pizza right now as well,' Cara smiled.

'Well, Kol, don't feel bad. Pizza is delicious,' Elijah said, smiling as well.

Kol looked the other way, feeling annoyed. He felt like they were this little team, and he felt left out.


	19. A New Friend

**Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews, but please, keep doing so!**

**That episode, seriously!? And that promo.. KOL! So happy right now, makes it even better to meet him next week! So excited for that as well!  
Hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

* * *

**A New Friend**

Cara and Elijah shared a look. Obviously Kol didn't like what was going on here. And even though Cara wanted to make it right, she did not know how far she could go. Not that she would change herself, but still. She shrugged, and looked helplessly at Elijah.

'So, little brother, how have you been? Haven't seen you in a while,' Elijah asked, trying to light up the mood.

Kol shrugged. 'I got around,' he said clipped, still not looking at any of them. He had this burning feeling again. Jealousy, Cara had called it. She also told him he didn't need to be. _But that was with Klaus, this is Elijah._

'So, Cara, you sleep well?' he sneered at her, raising his eyebrow. What was he doing? Why was he being mean?

Cara looked surprised, but sneered right back at him. 'Oh heavenly, thank you for asking.'

Elijah snickered softly, hiding it in a cough. They were perfect for each other. On the one hand, Kol who tried to be nice, and win someone over, and on the other hand someone who wasn't scared of him. He wondered if Cara knew of Kol's past. But then again. She seemed to know a lot about him. He figured she would tell him when she wanted, because indeed, where would be the fun in just telling him?

Kol growled. 'No need to be mean now, sugar.'

Cara laughed sarcastically. 'Look who's talking. One night sending sweet messages, and the other day being a complete dick. Figures.' She shrugged and saw the waitress coming. She'd rather just walk away right now, but she was starving.

The three of them were silently eating their food. Elijah stealing glances at both of them. It was amusing. He could see Cara wasn't actually mad, it was easy to see. She probably wouldn't have stormed out if she wasn't so hungry. He had heard her stomach growl. Kol, though, was seething. Elijah thought Kol had jealousy issues, and he handled them like this.

'What are your plans for the rest of the day, Cara?' Elijah said, wiping his mouth.

'You missed a spot,' she said, wiping it off his cheek with her own napkin. Elijah chuckled inside. She was good, he had to admit. He was eager to see what would be next in store for Kol.

'Well, I didn't really have plans, because I woke up to see I had plans for lunch… But, maybe I'll see if Damon wants to hang out…' She felt Kol's flaming eyes burning on her, and she saw his hands clench into fists.

Elijah also noticed. He decided to push it. 'Damon, huh? You met the Salvatore boys?'

Cara smirked. 'Oh, indeed I have. Damon is actually the first person I met here. He took care of me. Real good care of me.' She wiggled her eyebrows.

There was this obvious glint of fun in her eyes Kol was missing, but Elijah noticed. He raised an eyebrow.

'Oh, no, no! Not like that!' she laughed. 'Just some make out sessions. He still loves me, but we agreed to be friends.' She shrugged. 'And friends hang out, don't they Kol?'

She snapped her head around to look at him. He just glared at her. She was amused to see that underneath his anger there was a layer of lust.

'Don't they, Kol?' she repeated.

'You stay away from Damon, I don't trust him,' Kol growled.

'Now, now. No need to get angry,' Cara shushed him. 'Maybe I'll ask Klaus. Nothing better than spending the day with a sort of brother.'

Elijah sipped his drink and enjoyed the show. This girl knew how to push Kol's buttons, just by simply using her guy friends against him. He was surprised to hear Klaus was like a brother to her, but he let it go.

Kol just growled as an answer. Cara looked at Elijah. 'Maybe Elijah wants to spend the day with me? Get to know each other better?'

Elijah plastered a polite smile on his face, hiding his joy, and said: 'I would love to, Cara.'

Kol was trembling with rage now. 'You're coming with me,' he snapped.

Cara raised her eyebrows. 'Am I now? And why would you think so? Because you have been so nice to me?' She threw her napkin on the table, practically into Elijah's lap, signing him to look at it. Her number was on it. She had written in when Kol wasn't looking. Elijah nodded.

'Forget it, Kol. You just enjoy your day!' She stood up and walked out, into an nearby alley, knowing that Kol would follow her to yell at her or something.

She didn't have to wait long. Before she knew it, he was standing behind her.

'Thinking you could defy me, love?' he sneered.

Cara turned around, facing him. 'Not thinking… Knowing,' she said as she pushed him into the wall. 'Never. Ever. Treat me like a toy again!' she snapped as she pinned him down.

She knew he could easily overtake her, but she took him by surprise, so she had the upper hand here. She brushed his cheek with her lips, and whispered into his ear.

'I've been treated like shit before. I'm not letting that happen again.'

She let him go and walked away, knowing he would be too confused to come after her.

* * *

Elijah laughed. Cara had just told him everything, and he just loved it. She put him in his place, and that was good for him. Kol needed that.

'You know that he will be at your door tonight, begging for your apology, right?'

Cara laughed. 'Oh, I am counting on it. And I am gonna make it worth my while, don't worry.'

'But, on a more serious note. What do you mean, you have been treated badly before?' Elijah asked, concerned.

Cara switched hands on her phone before answering. 'My friends all betrayed me. I only have my boyfriend and one other friend left.' She stopped to take a breath, but before she could go on, Elijah cut her off.

'A boyfriend? Who?'

C_rap. _Ah well, she could just as much tell him. Elijah could be trusted.  
'I'm from another universe or something. That's how I know you. Back there you're in this TV-show. You're played by Daniel Gillies, but I looked it up here, he doesn't exist here. But, back home I have a boyfriend, but it's not going so well...'

Elijah stopped in his tracks. 'We shouldn't be talking about this on the phone. Do you have time tomorrow? I can come over, if you want to.'

'Yeah, yeah… You're right… But, tomorrow is fine. I'm sure Kol will be pleased with us being friends,' she smirked.

Elijah laughed. 'I'm sure he will be thrilled.'

* * *

'How was it?' Damon asked when she got home.

'Strangely amusing,' she smirked. 'There is a good chance a slightly annoyed Kol will be here tonight. Be sure to let him in if I'm not downstairs, okay?'

Damon looked worried. 'What did you do?'

Cara shrugged. 'I had fun. Or, maybe I should say, Elijah and I were having fun. Kol didn't like it so much…' she laughed. 'But don't worry, it'll be fine!'


	20. Angry Birds

**Hi everyone! So many views already! And I keep getting reviews from 2 of my readers every time, and let me tell you, I love it! Please keep going!**

**I will update as much as I can this week, but I am very busy preparing for my convention, and obviously during the con itself, I won't have time to write. But, I'll give you a heads-up :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Angry Birds**

'What do you mean, Kol didn't like it so much?' Damon glared at her. She wouldn't actually be pushing Kol's buttons, right? That would be the dumbest thing she could do.

'Me and Elijah were teasing him a bit, because he was rude to me. He probably was jealous, since Elijah and I were hitting it off like old friends. So I bitched back.' Cara shrugged. 'And I warned him afterwards. So, Elijah guesses he'll be here tonight. I think so too.'

'You're an idiot if you think I will let an angry Kol in!' Damon growled.

Cara laughed sarcastically. 'And what were you going to do about it? Tell him no? Bet that's going to work.' She shook her head. 'Just let him in, and don't make it worse, okay?' She eyed Damon closely and nodded her approval. 'Okay, good. I'm going to take a shower, didn't have time for that this morning!' She winked and ran up.

Damon shook his head. Kol should better be in a good mood when he showed up.

* * *

Kol was seething after Cara took off. How dared she? And even worse, really, how dared Elijah! His own brother! He teamed up with Cara and humiliated him!

In a rush of anger he fed a little violently and killed two random girls who were out for drinks.

He didn't even care, he was too wrapped up in his own misery. He had decided he would stop at Cara's tonight, to tell her who was really in charge, but he couldn't wait that long. He made sure the bodies were out of the way, and with an scary calmness walked to the Boarding House.

* * *

'Hello, Damon,' Kol said coldly as Damon opened the door.

'Kol,' Damon nodded. Damon immediately saw that Kol was outraged. He sure as hell didn't want to let him in, but as Cara said, what choice did he really have?

He stepped aside and let Kol in. 'Cara is in the shower, but you can wait down here,' he gestured to the couch, plastering a smile on his face.

'She's showering, huh?' Kol raised an eyebrow. A smirk appeared on his face. This was just getting better. How better to show her he was in charge?

'Oh, hell no!' Damon shouted, but before he could do anything, Kol knocked him down and ran up the stairs.

Cara thought she heard something, but it was just probably Damon fighting with Stefan. Again. About God knows what. She shrugged. Probably nothing.

Then the door slammed open, and Cara let out a little shriek. She pulled a towel from the hook and covered herself with it. She stopped the water and looked up into a smirking face.

'Kol,' she said through clenched teeth. 'How dare you come barging in when I'm showering?'

'How dare you humiliate me, like I'm nothing but a mere human?' he hissed.

'A mere human, huh?' Cara suddenly felt very calm. 'Well, this mere human, was just teasing you. I didn't even mean a word I said. Except for the part I don't want to be treated that bad.'

Kol stared at her. 'How was I treating you bad?'

'Well, for starters, you started snapping at me over nothing! Probably out of jealousy! Look, Kol, I really like you, might even love you,' Kol's insides warmed up a little before cooling down again, 'but you have to trust me!'

'Trust you?' Kol spat. 'How can I trust you when you are flirting with my brothers every chance you get!'

'Flirting!?' Cara yelled out of frustration. She stepped out of the bathtub, and made him walk backwards into her room. 'That's called making conversation, having fun, you idiot!'

Something snapped inside of Kol, and before he knew what he was doing, he pushed her into the wall. 'Never, again, call me an idiot!' he growled through clenched teeth.

'Now you can't even take criticism?' Cara shook her head. 'That's just too sad.'

Kol's insides were turned upside down. He had never felt this angry before, but at the same time, this was seriously turning him on. His fangs came out and he bit her in the neck.

Cara screamed a little and tried to push him off of her. When he obliged he just stared at her. Absentmindedly he wiped of her blood of his lips, and he made her wound stop.

With huge eyes she stared at him. She shook her head. Kol's guts felt to be pulling him down. She was disappointed in him. She gave him an honest chance, and he blew it, because he couldn't deal with his crappy emotions.

He touched her cheeks, and tried to find the warmth in her eyes. It was all gone. She looked like an empty shell.

'Get out,' she whispered. Her voice was so flat it felt Kol with pure dismay. What had he done? The only girl that had ever truly loved him for him, was disgusted by him!

He felt horrible. He hated himself. He dropped his hands, kissed her lightly on her cheek, whispered 'I'm sorry' and left.

He completely ignored Damon and just walked out. He didn't want to admit it, but he need to talk to Elijah, and maybe even Klaus, since he knew her so well.

* * *

Damon looked at Kol's beaten figure and he rushed upstairs. He knew he shouldn't have gone outside for a second, and now something had happened.

'Cara!' he exclaimed, as he saw her sitting against the wall, blood on her neck and hands, tears running down her face.

Cara looked up, and started sobbing harder. Why did she have to push him this bad? Why couldn't she just laugh about it, and leave it at that? But no, of course she couldn't. She always wanted to have the last word, and with an Original Vampire, that might not be the best quality. She had pushed him away. She saw the look of disgust in his eyes when she told him to get out. He would never come back. She threw her hands in her face and starting crying like a little baby.

Damon picked her up, and put her in her bed. She needed to rest and get it all out. He didn't know yet what had happened exactly, but Kol was going to pay. It didn't matter how. He broke their truce, and Damon was determined to held up his part of the bargain now Kol had hurt Cara. He got out his phone and called Klaus.

'_Damon,'_ the familiar voice greeted him, worried. '_I've been expecting your call._'  
'Cara is extremely upset! I don't know what that scumbag did to her, but it seriously messed her up! What did he do!?' Damon yelled..  
'_I don't know…' _Klaus said. '_When Kol came back he was unusually calm, but I could see he was seething on the inside. I was just about to ask you the same thing._'

Klaus stared at the stairs Kol just went up. What did his little brother do this time?

'I'm going to let him be for the moment. I don't want an angry Kol roaming the streets. I suggest you let Cara rest as well. I'll talk to both of them tomorrow.' He took a deep breath, waiting for Damon to disagree.

_'Okay.. I'm going to go get some ice cream for Cara, and that's it. I'll see you tomorrow._' Damon hung up the phone and went to the store.


	21. Hurt

**Hey guys! Thanks to my loyal reviewers, but I would love to gain more of you!  
I am so incredibly nervous for the upcoming weekend! How does one prepare for that?**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Hurt**

Cara just sat in her bed, staring at the wall. Tears had stopped flowing. She only felt the numbness now. She heard Damon shouting to someone, and leave short after. She just hoped he wouldn't get himself into trouble. When Damon got back, she was surprised to see him holding a bucket of ice.

'You seem like a Cookie Dough person, or at least I thought,' he muttered. Then he looked at her again, and saw the blood was still there. 'But first, I am going to clean you up a bit,' he said, rushing down to put the ice in the freezer.

'How are you feeling?' he said when he got back.

'Numb. Empty. Weak. Stupid. Something like that,' she shrugged.

'He must've taken too much.. Here, let me help you,' he said, biting his wrist and holding it out to her.

She was still a bit disgusted by it, but she knew it would help. She sipped, and made a face. Kol's was so much better, she thought unwillingly. Tears welled up again, but she made them go away. She drank a bit more, until Damon was satisfied, and wiped her mouth.

'Good,' Damon said. 'Now let's get you cleaned up.' He went into the bathroom and got a wet towel. Slowly, and carefully, he wiped all of the blood away. He made sure Cara didn't see the towel afterwards, and he threw it away.

When he got back, Cara looked up at him, with puffy eyes. 'Thank you, Damon…'  
A warm smile appeared on Damon's face. 'You're welcome, don't worry about it.' He went down to get the ice cream, got some clothes and put them on her bed. She was still in a towel after all. When he made sure she was taken care of, he left her to rest, and made his way to his bottle of Bourbon.

* * *

A knock on his door snapped Kol out of his misery. 'What?' he growled.

'Can I come in, little brother?' Elijah's voice asked.

Kol doubted. He wanted to talk to Elijah, needed maybe, but he didn't know if he was up for it right now. So he just scoffed, and let Elijah decide.

Elijah walked in, expecting to see a seething Kol, but instead he saw a broken boy, hiding his pain in anger. He stood there for just a minute, staring as Kol.

'What?' Kol snapped.

Elijah shook his head. 'It's okay for you to be hurt, you know. I won't tell Nik,' Elijah winked.

'I'm not hurt! I'm angry!' Kol said, even though he was lying, big time.

'Sure you are,' Elijah said. He went over to the bed, and sat next to Kol, not looking at him. 'Of course you are angry, but once you calm down, you'll see you weren't just angry. You'll see you were angry because you were hurt.'

'And why would I be hurt?' Kol said.

'Because you did something bad to the woman you love,' Elijah said simply. 'Cara.'

Cara's name made all of Kol's anger disappear. 'What have I done, Elijah?' he whispered. 'I hurt her… I deliberately hurt her!' He raised his voice. 'I hurt her, because she is one of the only ones to stand up to me! And I couldn't handle it. And then when you came into the picture, I lost it.' Kol threw a pillow through his room.

'You lost it because of me?' Elijah asked surprised.

'You and Cara were all teaming up at the Grill, looking so cozy, humiliating me…' His body still burned thinking about that, even though Cara said that was stupid.

'You were jealous?' Elijah said, still surprised. He should have known this, but there just was a connection with Cara he couldn't deny. 'There is nothing to be jealous off! Trust me, Kol. There is a connection between us, but it is the same one as the one she has with Klaus. It's typical really. She's with you, and all of a sudden she actually gained two brothers.'

'Brothers? So to you Cara is already like family?'

Elijah nodded. And the fact that Cara was hurt enraged him, but he also knew it wasn't entirely Kol's fault.

'Well, I'm sorry then that I ruined it,' Kol snapped. He meant it, even though it sounded harsh. He didn't want to hurt family.

Elijah smirked. This was the best apology he was going to get from Kol. 'I should warn you , though,' Elijah said seriously. 'Klaus is going to talk to you tomorrow, and he won't be nearly as patient. And neither will Damon. I'm sure you'll see him as well.'

'What about Cara?' Kol whispered. He flinched at the pain he felt, just thinking about her.

Elijah still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Kol, his little impulsive brother, loved this one girl so much. He shook his head. 'I don't know, but Klaus is going to talk to her as well, tomorrow.'

Kol sighed desperately. If Klaus was going to talk to Cara, he could forget about her.

'I'll put in a good word for you,' Elijah said, not being able to see his brother so broken.

Kol looked up at him, so hopefully, that Elijah's heart almost broke. 'You'd do that for me?'

'I would, but then you have to promise me you'll gain control over your emotions.'

'I will, don't worry… I don't want this to happen again…'

'This is not a guarantee, you know that right?'

Kol nodded. 'I know. But it's worth a shot.' He hugged Elijah. 'Thank you brother…'

For a moment they both felt like they were the two young kids they used to be a thousand years ago.

* * *

Cara's phone rang, but she didn't bother to pick it up. Whoever it was, she didn't want to talk. When it stopped, she picked it up to see who it was. Elijah. _Oh, well_.

A text message came in, also from Elijah. This made her chuckle a bit. He sure was persistent.

**I just talked to Kol, thought you wanted to know. Elijah  
**_Why would I want to know?  
_**Maybe you were curious to hear what he said?  
**_Well, no. I couldn't care less right now. _She did want to know though.  
**Too bad. He's broken, Cara. He's lost, and he's incredibly sorry. He truly loves you.  
**_If he loved me, he wouldn't have hurt me in the first place.  
_**I know, but he has trouble handling his emotions. I'm going to help him with that. Please, just give him another chance. He thinks he has lost you forever. Plus, Nik is going to talk to both of you tomorrow, and that will do more damage than necessary, I believe.**

Cara stared at Elijah's words for a while. Could this really be true? Of course she wouldn't forgive him immediately, and he would have to do some serious groveling, but still. Everyone makes mistakes right? And if Elijah was going to help him…

_How will I be sure this won't happen again?  
_**You won't. But I'll vouch for him. You just have to trust me.  
**_I trust you.  
_**Thank you.**

She put her phone down, and she felt a rush of exhaustion wash over her. She drifted off, hearing Damon come in, to put some soup on her table. He stroke her hair out of her face, and kissed her head lightly. Cara smiled. Everything will be fine.


	22. The Talk

**Hey everyone!  
Sooo sooo sorry for not updating so long! On Thursday I was busy packing. Friday I finished packing, watched Vampire Diaries, and went to Brussels for the convention! Suffice it to say I didn't have time there! I was too busy hugging Ian, Paul & Nate. I also got a kiss from Nate for my picture.. still reeling! I miss him now. Like bad. Did buy my ticket for next year already! Passes going on sale this week, so... Come join me!**

**After the weekend I was too exhausted and busy working to upload, and since I have to wait now until the episode airs, I thought, why not :)?**

**I hope you like it, it kind of turned as I wrote it. I did not plan for this to happen when I started writing again, hahahaha. **

**So, enjoy! And please, review with your thoughts and opinions!**

* * *

**The talk**

Cara woke up, feeling a bit happy again. She ate the soup around midnight when she had woken up, and now her stomach growled again. She got up, put on a robe, and when downstairs to find something. She rolled her eyes when she saw that the brothers had done some grocery shopping. She made herself a bowl of yogurt with fresh fruit. She slowly ate it, while thinking about the other day. Elijah was willing to put his own life on the line for her, and they had only just met. He must've felt the same bond as she did.

'A penny for your thoughts,' Damon's voice came up behind her.  
'Or a dollar for your insides,' Cara immediately answered, smirking, remembering one of her favorite Fall Out Boy songs.

'What?' Damon asked confused.

Cara shook her head. 'Never mind. Just a song.' She sighed. She couldn't tell him what Elijah had offered. He would go straight to Klaus, and ruin everything. 'What time is Klaus coming?' she said while getting up to put her bowl and spoon in the dishwater.

'Any minute now. He just called to say he wrapped up his conversation with Kol, and that he is headed here.' Damon's face looked stern. Cara got anxious immediately.

'What happened?' When Damon didn't answer her, she closed in on him. 'What. Happened. Damon?'

'I don't know, okay! Klaus didn't say anything! I don't know!'

Cara huffed. 'Fine. I'm going to go get dressed, before Klaus gets here.'

'No need for that, love,' Klaus said, stepping into the kitchen.

Cara growled. She already had enough of this day, and she couldn't wait to get this over with, so she could call Elijah.

She sat down, and kept staring at Klaus, who didn't move. 'Well, I thought you were here to talk to me?' Cara snapped at him.

He looked up surprised, and his face fell immediately. He sat down, and stared into her eyes. 'Cara, what happened yesterday… Kol went out of line. Maybe you and Elijah did as well, but he shouldn't have hurt you like that.'

'He didn't really hurt me,' Cara countered. 'After he bit me, he immediately healed me, apologized, and left when I told him to.' She didn't like where this conversation was going one bit.

'Still, he shouldn't have bitten you! If he would've lost control, you'd be dead by now, Cara! Do you understand that!?' Klaus yelled at her.

'I do! But I didn't! Look, I want to talk to him. Is he home?' Cara asked, standing up. She started for the door when Damon cut her off.

'I don't think that's a good idea…' he whispered.

'What is happening!? Damon, you liar!' She whirled around and stepped into Klaus' personal space. He took a surprised step back. 'What did you say to him!?' she yelled in his face.

When Klaus didn't say anything, she growled and got her phone out. She saw that she had 3 missed calls from Elijah. 'What the…' she murmured. Immediately she called him back.

'Elijah! What's wrong? Just saw you called!'  
'Cara…' Elijah's voice came through, sounding hurt and restrained.  
'What!?' she whispered, immediately afraid.

It was silent for a while on the other side. 'Klaus talking to Kol… Didn't go so well, suffice it to say. Kol is still wrapped up in figuring out his emotions, that he gave all the wrong answers. Or at least, to Klaus they were wrong. Cara, I'm so sorry…'

Cara's heart sank, and she turned to Klaus. Her voice was ice cold and emotionless. 'What did he do?'  
'Klaus daggered him, and took him away before I could stop him… Cara, I am so terribly sorry!' Elijah said, pleading with her.  
'Don't worry, I know it's not your fault,' she said, her voice filled with warmth. 'It'll be okay. But now,' her voice cold again, 'I have someone to talk to. Call you later.'  
'Cara, be care-' She ended the call, and took one step towards Klaus.

'You. Can't. Be. Serious.' She glared at him, her body filled with rage and hatred. 'When were you going to tell me?'

She looked at Klaus, obviously not liking what he saw. When she saw he wasn't going to answer it dawned on her.

She stood up straight. 'You weren't. What was your excuse? He left you? Didn't love you?'

Klaus shrugged. This ticked her off. She slapped him across the face. Klaus cringed. 'You'd actually think I'd believe you? Elijah told me yesterday how broken Kol was, and how bad he wanted to make things right. And now you were going to tell me he didn't love me? How stupid do you think I am?' Tears were rolling down her face. 'I don't know what he said this morning, but you didn't like it. Elijah seemed to think that the answers were only wrong to you.'

When Klaus opened his mouth she cut him off. 'I don't even want to know. What I do want to know is, where is he?'

'Cara, you don't understand…'

'The hell I don't! So why won't you explain? He apologized, now didn't he? He even said sorry to ME! I was just too mad to accept it then!'

'He went out of line, Cara!' Klaus said, trying to make her understand.

She stared at him, a cold, dead look in her eyes. 'And so did you. Your own brother? Really? Again? That's just pathetic. I think I am starting to see why Caroline is so afraid to like you. You ruin every good thing that you have going on. It's just pathetic. You're going to bring him back, and if not, I will hunt him down and do it myself.'

She felt smug on the inside, seeing Klaus' hurt face. Then she turned to Damon. 'And you knew! You knew, and didn't tell me.. Even worse, you lied to me!'

'Cara, I-'

'I don't want to hear it! Damon, I really thought we could be friends, but clearly you're not trusting me! And, you,' she turned back to Klaus. 'You little miserable excuse for an existence, I thought of you as a brother. Good to know family really doesn't matter to you.'

She turned around, went upstairs to call Elijah to pick her up. She changed into clothes and went downstairs. When the two guys came up to her, she just put up her hand and walked outside.

'Ready to go?' Elijah asked.

Cara saw he looked devastated. She didn't even realize his little brother just died. Sort of. She put a hand on his arm. 'I'm sorry for you too..'

Elijah gave her a small smile.

* * *

'So where are we going?' Cara asked.

'We're going to find a witch. Hopefully she can track down Kol, so we can bring him back. I would do it myself, but if you're not there… He will do something stupid, and get himself actually killed…' Elijah's voice trailed off.

Cara nodded. 'I want to be there. I don't think for one second Klaus will actually do it himself. He's scared of what Kol will do to him.'

Elijah said nothing. He just kept driving.

* * *

When they walked out of the witch's house, Cara was relieved she was so eager to help. Apparently she didn't approve of Klaus, but did honor Elijah. She felt happiness spreading again. 'We're going to free Kol!'

Elijah laughed. 'I certainly hope so. He didn't deserve it, not even a little bit. He wanted to change his life around. Around you,' he smiled at Cara.

Cara felt her phone buzz. She looked, expecting it to be from Caroline. She sighed when it was from Damon. She deleted it without reading and turned off her phone.

'Damn it, Cara, answer me!' Damon hissed while redialing again. He was pacing back and forth. Where did they go? Klaus seemed to think they were out there, searching for Kol, but they wouldn't know where to go, right?

He tried again. Nothing. He just prayed they'd be safe. Klaus did seem to regret his mistake, but still…

Damon smashed his glass into the wall. He hated being left out.

* * *

Cara and Elijah stood before a locker. Cara snickered. This looked exactly like the ones in Storage Wars. She could only imagine it being auctioned, with Kol inside of it.

Elijah shook his head, he didn't think he'd want to know. With little effort he broke the lock, and opened the locker.

A big coffin was standing in the middle of it. Cara ran towards it. 'Kol!' she yelled, and she sobbed again. It hadn't sunk in yet that he actually was gone. Even if they were here now to bring him back.

She tried to open it, but it was stuck. She sighed. 'Elijah, please?'

Elijah smirked and opened it, once again with ease.

Cara looked inside. Even though she knew what she would find, it still almost tore her heart in half. There he was. The love of her life. _Really? The love of your life?_ Yes. The love of my life. All grey, and dead. She sat down.

'I can't pull it out, Elijah… I'll be here when he wakes up, but I can't pull it out.. I can't look at him like this!' A sob escaped from her lips. Elijah sat next to her, to comfort her. She wouldn't be any good like this, if Kol woke up.

They sat there like that for 5 minutes, until Cara pulled herself together. 'Okay,' she sniffed, looking confidently. 'Let's do this!'


	23. Big Bad Wolf

**I am sorry for the short chapter, but it is really late (1am), I am exhausted.. But I wanted to give you all something :D. I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Since I am tired, I dunno if it's any good, but please, let me know, your feedback is always more than welcome!**

* * *

**Big Bad Wolf**

Elijah pulled her up, and held her until she was steady. He guided her to the coffin. She put her hands on the sides, and swallowed hard.

'You ready?' Elijah said, eying her.

Cara nodded. 'Just do it. I need him back.'

While Elijah stuck out his hand and took hold of the dagger, an ice cold voice came up from behind him.

'You sure you want to do that?'

Elijah stiffened. 'Yes, Nik, I am.'

Cara nudged him, and Elijah slowly pulled out the dagger, while Cara covered it up.

'You don't want to wake him,' Klaus said. 'He'll only hurt Cara more, and I can't take that.'

'I'm right here, you know!' Cara yelled, pushing him back. 'And why can't he hurt me, while you can? Should I dagger you too, then?'

'I am doing this for your own good! Kol biting you wasn't good for any of us!'

Before Cara could respond, Elijah answered. 'It did do good. It might have started out wrong, but it made Kol realize what NOT to do.' Elijah took a step forward. 'Thought one of the most precious lessons in life was to learn from your mistakes. Well he did.'

'And how would you know?' Klaus sneered.

'Because I talked to him, before you did. He was a broken boy. He asked for my help.' Chuckling at Klaus' face, Elijah continued. 'Yes, brother, he asked for my help. And I agreed to give him that.'

Elijah took the dagger out of his pocket, and twirled it around. 'I suggest you leave before Kol wakes up. He won't be gentle with you.'

Klaus glared at Elijah, ready to charge. 'You didn't!' he growled.

He felt a tap on his shoulder, followed by a punch to the face. 'Oh yes he did,' Kol hissed. He kicked his brother to the wall. 'You son of a bitch. I'll make your existence hell. You'll never, ever, keep me away from Cara again, you understand?' Kol held Klaus up against the wall.

Rage was burning inside of Kol. The only thing he saw was Klaus. He knew that Elijah was there, he undaggered him. For a second he felt sad Cara wasn't there. But as soon as he looked at Klaus again, that vanished. His brother had no right to dagger him. Again.

'This is exactly why I put you down, you're temper gets the better of you!' Klaus choked out.

'You daggered me, what am I supposed to say to you!? Thank you?' Kol spat in Klaus' face.

Klaus shrugged. Kol roared.

'I will kill you, trust me,' Kol whispered into Klaus' ear.

Kol felt a hand on his shoulder and he stiffened. How did he not notice her being there? He slumped and let go of Klaus. He couldn't face her. He still felt too ashamed. He hurt her. And then his brother had killed him. She came back for him, and he didn't even notice her! He just went on hurting Klaus, in front of her! He felt like an idiot.

'Kol,' Cara whispered. 'Kol, please…' her voice broke. She could see he was hurt, but she just needed to see his face. Needed to be sure he was really okay.

'Please, just look at me…' she pleaded, while tugging on his shoulder. Elijah smirked at Klaus, with an I-told-you-so –look. The fact that Kol acted like a statue, with a horrified look on his face, was a shock for Klaus. Klaus turned and sped off.

'Kol!' Cara was getting angry now. 'You bastard! You can't bite me, whisper an apology, leave, die, let me wake you up, just to ignore me!'

Elijah silently left, leaving them to it.

'I can't,' Kol finally managed to get out. 'It hurts too much..' he whispered.

When Kol didn't feel Cara;s hand on his body anymore, he knew he really had screwed things up. He closed his eyes, and let the pain wash over him. Everything inside of him burned. He wanted to scream, to yell, to punch… He just wanted to collapse on the floor and just stay there forever. He couldn't handle losing Cara.

He got pulled out of his thoughts by a slap in his face. Shocked he opened his eyes, to stare into an angry face, covered in tears. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. He kept staring into her eyes. Seeing so much. He was surprised to still see love there, and.. pity?

Cara lightly touched his face. 'I love you, Kol, hold on to that… Don't leave me because you feel horrible about what you did…'

She leaned in, and softly kisses his lips. She felt the struggle in him, but eventually he couldn't hold himself back anymore. He kissed her back, with all of the passion he could manage. She felt an actual tear falling out of his eye. She broke their kiss to wipe it away.

'Don't cry… Everything will be fine, just believe in yourself. And in me,' Cara smiled, staring in to his dark brown gorgeous eyes, her heart still melting whenever she looked at him. She was just so happy he was okay!

Seeing the happiness in Cara's eyes, Kol let go.


	24. You Tell Me To Hold On

**Hello everyone! Normally I have things I want to say.. But right now, hahaha, I'm blank :). **

**This chapter was hard for me to write. I guess that's because it's just mostly a filler one. I hope you will enjoy anyway :).**

**Keep the reviews and tips coming, I love them :)**

**Oh, and I am counting down already for BloodyNightConEurope II.. Only 353 days to go!**

* * *

**You tell me to hold on**

Kol cupped Cara's face, and stroked her cheek. Cara melted away in those eyes, and didn't even notice him pushing her against the wall. In his eyes, she saw flashes of lust, hunger, love, and pain. She sighed. The pain was still there. Not that she expected otherwise.

When Kol wanted to pull away at her sigh, Cara wrapped her arms around him tightly, not letting him go.

The moment Kol felt her arms around him, her eyes soft, her face lit up in happiness, he just couldn't feel bad anymore. He was starving, though, and he needed to get out of here.

Cara cocked her head to the side, exposing her neck. 'You really think I wouldn't notice right away? I can see it in your eyes, you know.' Cara said smiling after seeing his questioning face. Her smile faded when she saw Kol's face turn into disgust.

'I trust you, Kol,' Cara said, gripping his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her. 'You made a mistake once, you're not going to do it again. Now, just feed from me, because I am not letting you chase some poor girl right now. You won't have the strength to stop, and with me you will.'

'But, what if I can't stop?' Kol snapped, suddenly mad. Why was Cara defending him? He had hurt her, he had done nothing to deserve her forgiveness. Or her blood, for that matter. 'I wouldn't have last time if you hadn't snapped me out of it!'

'Yeah but I did, and I know you won't do that again! And if so, I can snap you out of it again! Don't be such an idiot, Kol. You need blood. I have blood. One and one equals two, remember?'

'No,' Kol said sternly. 'I'm not feeding off of you, ever again.'

Cara looked around. If he wouldn't do it himself, she'd make him. She looked around the locker, setting her eye on a few shards of glass laying on the floor.

'Fine!' She threw her hands in the air, and walked across the locker, sitting down, legs folded. Behind her back she tried to get the glass. When she had it, she stood up again.

'What fine?' Kol demanded, his eyes confused.

'If you won't drink from me, I'll make you!' her eyes burned into his, as she cut her hand with the glass.

Kol backed away from her, until he stood at the wall. He felt the allure, and he felt the veins growing under his eyes.

Cara walked up to him, looking confident, and when she had cornered him, she held her hand in front of his mouth.

'Now, drink, you fool,' she whispered. She pushed her palm against his lips, and he just couldn't stop it anymore.

'I'm sorry,' he whispered back, when he pierced her skin. He drank until he was full enough, but he had taken more than he thought. When Kol let go, Cara wobbled a bit on her feet.

'Cara! Why didn't you stop me?'

'I'm still alive, right? You stopped, I am still alive. No fuss,' she giggled and sat down, feeling a bit lightheaded.

Kol shook his head, still not used to her persistence. Or trust in him.

He sat next to her, offering her his blood. She shook her head. 'Why not?' he asked, infuriated.

'I'll be fine, this will be my reminder to you that you can be trusted!' Cara smiled, but she almost fell over to the side. 'Oops,' she muttered.

'Cara, fine, fine, I believe you trust me. Now, please, let me heal you!' Kol said. He felt hopeless seeing her like this, and if she needed him to believe she trusted him, well, then, okay. He didn't kill her after all.

* * *

'Everything okay here?' Elijah asked, standing in the doorway.

Cara nodded, and nuzzled against Kol's chest. She had agreed to him healing her, but he had to promise not to feel bad anymore about what happened, and be happy that they both were alive.  
After she was healed, she had kissed him with all the passion she could manage, and he returned it as if it was his last. The feelings almost consumed her, but it felt right. Now she was sitting next to him, cuddling up.

'We should get you back home, Cara,' Elijah said, giving her a small smile. 'It's almost dinnertime, and Damon is already worried sick about you.' Elijah chuckled. 'It's cute really, since he knows that neither I or Klaus would let you get hurt.' Kol's head snapped up angrily. 'No offence brother, but I don't think Damon trusts you again. Of course we know that you wouldn't let her get hurt as well.'

'Don't worry, Kol,' Cara said reassuringly. 'If Damon doesn't come around, and will continue to give me a hard time about you, I'll just move out, and come live with you.' She kissed his cheek. 'Only if you want, of course,' she muttered. Oh god, what had she said? It was true, she would, but seriously what was she thinking?

All of her doubts were washed away by the intense look of joy on Kol's face.

'Why not move in anyway? Just like a precaution?' Elijah offered, saying the words he knew Kol would never get out., afraid of what she might say.

Kol looked at her expectantly, and Cara felt herself agreeing. She smiled up at Elijah. 'Why now, that would be a smart thing to do, right?'

Kol was just so happy that Cara agreed that he didn't even mind the thing going on between Elijah and her. He just hugged her tightly, and stood up, pulling her with him. 'It's time to gather your stuff then,' he smiled.

* * *

'Cara! You okay?' Damon rushed up to her as soon as she set foot inside. She rolled her eyes.

'No, I just died three times, and then got run over by a car,' she snapped. 'If I am walking right here, would I be okay?'

Damon just stared at her. 'You alone?' he asked hesitantly.

'Sort of,' she shrugged. 'Elijah and Kol are waiting in the car outside. I'm just here to pick up my few belongings.'

Damon was shocked. She was leaving? To live with them? No, no, no!

'Damon, me living here right now, won't do any of us good. You'll keep disagreeing about Kol, we'll keep fighting, and that's not a good way to keep a friendship healthy. So I am just going to stay there for a while, and when you have finally figured out that Kol won't hurt me, you give me a call. I really don't want to lose you, but if I stay here, I definitely will.' She touched his cheek, and walked up the stairs, leaving Damon staring into nothing.

She got back within minutes, she didn't have much.

'You're really leaving?' Damon whispered.  
Cara nodded. 'Just trust me, Damon, everything will be fine. And if anything were to go wrong, you'll be the first to know! I really value our possible friendship, but that means trusting each other. So, really, let me know when you're up for it!' She smiled reassuringly, gave him a kiss on the cheek, waved to a flabbergasted Stefan on the couch, and walked outside.

She found Kol smirking like crazy in the car. 'Oh, shut it,' Cara snapped. 'I did not enjoy that, and neither should you.'

Kol held up his hands in innocence, still laughing. Elijah shook his head in amusement.

'So, lady, you ready to go?' he asked her politely.

'Oh, yes, milord! Take me home!'

Elijah laughed, and Kol just stared at the both of them. That wasn't even that funny? Ah well, at least the mood was nice!

Elijah turned back around and drove off to the mansion.


	25. Don't Get Too Close

**Hey everyone!**

**I am trying to update as much as I can! But know; the more reviews, the faster I'll get! It's just an amazing motivation!**

**Did you know that this is Chapter 25 already!? Amazing! And ohmy, 9000 views already! Also close to a stunning 50 reviews! Let's crack that up!**

**With a special thanks to Bianca. 101, for her support! Thank you sweetie!**

**I am also open for ideas, and I got a great one, unfortunately it wasn't right for my story, in my opinion. Would also love to hear as to where you want this story to go!**

**Well, I hope you enjoy, and until next time :D**

* * *

**Don't get too close…**

When they walked up to the mansion Cara felt a little nervous. Sure, she had been here before, but never to stay. Plus, then Klaus hadn't been mad at her. And what would Rebekah be like? Would they like each other? Or hate each other? And what about Caroline? What would she think about all of this?

Cara froze in her spot, terrified of all her questions, spooking her head.

Kol and Elijah didn't notice at first. They were too busy chatting away about doing groceries. Really, groceries? Like that's important. Cara scoffed. That made them turn around. Cara rolled her eyes.

Kol was back in a flash. 'What's wrong, darling?' he asked, the amusement quickly leaving his eyes.

Cara shook her head. Too many questions, too many thoughts… She didn't know how to formulate them. In trying, she only muttered: 'Klaus… Angry.. Rebekah… Caroline?'

'I believe Cara here is a bit scared of what certain people might think of her,' Elijah said, appearing next to Kol.

'Do you?' Kol asked, putting his hands on her shoulders, trying to look at her. Cara just shrugged. 'Because it doesn't matter what other people think of you! I will always be there to defend you, and so will Elijah!' Kol said firmly.

Cara's head snapped up. 'Always? Like today? Which you spent mostly in a coffin?'

Kol let her go as if his hands burned. His eyes turned dark. 'Elijah was there, wasn't he?' Kol managed to get out through gritted teeth.

'Kol…' Elijah warned. 'Hold it together, keep it in.'

'Now, Cara, why does it matter to you what others think of you staying here?' Elijah asked with a smile, keeping an eye on Kol, who was calming down, even though his eyes still burned.

'Never mind,' Cara muttered. 'Let's go in, shall we?'

She walked up to the mansion, leaving the brothers behind her. She knew Elijah was trying to calm Kol down. What she said to him probably was uncalled for, but she couldn't care less. How dare he say that it doesn't matter what other people thought of her? If it didn't, then why had she lost everything? And always defending her? Yeah, that worked out great for her in the past. _Not that Kol knows about that_. She brushed away the thought. He didn't know, and it will stay like that.

'Cara, right?' Cara turned around and looked at a curious Rebekah.

She swallowed. This was it. 'Yup, that's me,' Cara smiled nervously.

Rebekah looked her over, and was satisfied to see that Cara had the decency to be nervous. That was a good start for sure.

'I'm Rebekah,' Rebekah said with a genuine smile on her face.

Cara immediately relaxed, and nodded. 'I know.'

Rebekah chuckled. 'Of course you do! I heard all about it. So, what are you here for?'

'I'm actually going to stay here for a while… Kol wouldn't want to leave me with Damon, since he believes it will cause trouble.' Cara shrugged. 'I guess he's right.'

'Where is he now, then?' Rebekah asked, a bit confused.

'Outside with Elijah, as far as I know. I might just have pissed him off a little bit.' Cara shrugged apologetically.

Rebekah laughed. 'He's easy to piss off. What did you say to him?'

Cara told her, and only now realized that he was in that coffin because she pissed him off. A_h well. _

Rebekah shook her head. 'It's going to be hard, for both of you, but you are exactly what he needs. Someone who isn't scared. You'll make a cute couple.' Rebekah smiled at Cara and walked out. 'I'm going shopping, maybe next time you could join me?'

Cara smiled gratefully. 'I would love to!' Rebekah gave her a reassuring smile and left.

Not a minute later Kol rushed in, looking around frantically.

'I'm right here, jeez.' Cara said.

Kol relaxed immediately. 'So everything went well with Rebekah?'

'Yep. We're going shopping someday,' Cara said casually.

Kol tilted his head at her. He had no idea what was going on with her. 'See, nothing to worry about! People like you,' he smiled.

Cara's eyes went cold again. 'I suppose,' she muttered. 'Now, where will I be staying?'

Kol was about to answer, when Elijah interrupted him. 'Why don't you bring Cara's stuff up, while I show her around? We can show her her room after dinner.'

Kol was trying to find an argument, clearly not pleased, but Cara shrugged and followed Elijah.

When they were out of the hallway, Elijah chuckled. 'Kol is cursing about me taking you. He still doesn't trust me completely.'

'Ah well. That's his problem,' Cara said, while looking around. This was the living room. She'd been here before. She even hyperventilated here.

'So, why are you taking me on a tour of a house I basically already know?' Cara said, turning around to face Elijah.

'Why do you care about people's opinions so much?' Elijah asked. He watched Cara shut down right in front of him. Something must have happened to her. He only then realized they knew nothing about her.

'You can tell me, you know that right?' he asked, sitting her down on the couch.

Cara almost felt sad for him. He looked so worried. Yet she did not want them to know what happened to her. They liked her here for who she was. Or at least she thought they did. Why bring up stories from her other life? This was supposed to be her new start.

'I know,' she muttered, while staring at her feet. She just couldn't trust anyone, she had learned that by now. Not even Elijah. She couldn't bring herself to it.

'Well, maybe later, then,' Elijah smiled at her. She smiled back, hesitantly. She just hoped she didn't screw it up now.

'Dinner's ready,' Kol's flat voice came from the kitchen. He couldn't still be mad right? She shrugged. Not her problem right now. She was starving.

'So, which one of your maids cooked today?' Cara asked when she walked into the kitchen. 'Just so I can thank her.'

Elijah chuckled, but tried to hide it in a cough. Kol looked slightly hurt.

'Well, you can thank me,' he said. 'I cooked.'

Cara raised her eyebrows in surprise. 'Well, that was fast.'

Kol shrugged. 'I had prepped a lot already, since you know, we were going to talk today, and I'd invite you for dinner… Only had to finish it, really.'

Cara's heart melted. Kol actually looked insecure!

'Well… Thank you, then,' she smiled. 'What are we having?'

All flustered Kol started putting plates down. 'Ehm, grilled chicken stuffed with cream cheese and herbs, with pommes duchesse and a simple salad…' his voice trailed off, in anticipation of Cara's response.

Cara tried her best to look happy. She had made his day hard enough already. He didn't have to know just yet that she despised lettuce. She could manage.

'It sounds lovely, Kol, thank you!' she beamed, hoping he wouldn't notice her little lie. Unfortunately, Elijah did. She pleaded him with her eyes not to say anything. He rolled his eyes and sat down.

The tension was thick while they were eating. It was really good though, apart from the lettuce.

She pushed her plate away from her, pretending to be stuffed, leaving half of her salad. 'Phew, that was good, Kol! Never thought you could cook!'

Kol smiled at her, taking his last bite himself. He caught the weird glances between his brother and Cara, and he had had enough.

'So, what's going on between you two?'


	26. it's dark inside

**Hey guys! Took a little longer than planned, sorry for that! To make up for that I have an extra long chapter for you guys!**

**It's the chapter where Cara opens up about her past. It's a long story, and I hope I didn't bore you with that, but it felt important to me. It was hard for me to write, emotionally, but I think I managed. I also hope it explains her behaviour a bit, and I would love to hear your opinions! **

**So, ehm, well. I guess that'll be all without giving too many spoilers, and even though not much happens in this chapter, it's still essential to the story. Knowing why she reacts to certain things in a certain way. **

**So I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**… it's dark inside**

Cara flinched at hearing Kol's voice sound so cold. _Shit_. 'What do you mean?' She realized her mistake as soon as the sarcastic smile appeared on Kol's face.

'What do I mean? Well, surely I am not imagining those glances between you and my brother, now am I? And since they aren't romantic…' his voice trailed off, one eyebrow raised.

'I just didn't want to hurt your feelings…' Cara said softly, while gazing into his eyes, hating how cold and angry they looked back at her.

'So they are romantic, then?' Kol's voice had become emotionless. Cara flinched. She thought his cold voice was the worst. She was wrong.

'No, Kol, never…' She turned to Elijah, 'No, offense, but…' Elijah cut her off with a smile. 'It's okay, I wouldn't feel comfortable dating my sister anyway,' he winked.

Then his face became more serious. 'Kol, Cara loves you. Stop doubting her, or you'll push her away. I know you don't want that. So stop it.'

Cara smiled a thanks to Elijah, but he wasn't done yet. 'And Cara, if you do love him, you are going to have to trust him not to burst out for every little thing. He's a vampire, not a porcelain doll.'

Kol looked bewildered at his brother, and then at Cara. Cara cringed. _Bastard. Thought you were on my side._ She glared daggers at Elijah.

'So… What was wrong then?' Kol asked impatiently. This girl, whom he had feelings for, deeply, was getting on his nerves right now. He had to use all of his self-control to keep it cool.

'Let me first say that the food was amazing,' Cara smiled hesitantly, avoiding his eyes. It was the food. God, he knew he should've asked her what she liked! His face twisted in hurt and anger. 'No, no, Kol! Don't get me wrong! It really was amazing, everything was delicious… It's just, I really, really, don't like lettuce, or salads, for that matter. I think it's one of the most tasteless things in the world.' Kol just stared at her. She doesn't like lettuce. That was all. He was still wrapping his head around this, when Cara started babbling nervously. 'It's just… You went through all of the trouble to make this for me, and well, today wasn't exactly a breeze, and I just didn't want to make it worse by saying that I didn't like something…' Her voice trailed off and she just looked at him, waiting for a response.

Suddenly, Kol started laughing. It almost became hysterical. Cara raised her eyebrows. What the hell?

'Kol, are you alright?' Elijah asked, shocked by this reaction.

Kol took a deep breath, and wiped a tear away. 'She… Didn't… Like.. The.. Lettuce,' he laughed. 'I thought there was something serious,' he calmed down. He flashed himself in front of Cara, turning her around. 'You won't ever hurt my feelings over lettuce, darling,' he smirked. He would never tell her how good it actually felt to be cared for, even though it wasn't necessary.

Cara smacked him in the chest. 'Ouch! What was that for?'

'First of all: for overreacting, again. Second: For making fun of me!' Cara pouted slightly. She couldn't hold back the smile that was forming, though. Kol's happiness just projected itself onto her.

Kol just shrugged, and looked at her plate, noticing she left half of her salad, which meant… 'You ate half of the salad,' he stated with wonder. 'You ate half of it… Because you didn't want to hurt my feelings?'

Cara's smile faded. She shrugged, and nodded, while keeping her eyes on the floor. She was embarrassed enough already. She didn't need Kol spelling it out for her.

Kol tilted Cara's chin up, forcing her to look at him. 'That might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me,' he said softly to her. 'Thank you,' he whispered into her ear, making her shiver, after giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

Cara was taken aback by this. Did he actually just thank her for being an idiot?

Elijah cleared his throat. 'It seems this has all been a misunderstanding. Again. Can we go back to normal now? Without the trust-issues?'

Kol nodded like a bobble-head and Cara just smiled. The trust-issues remark hit her, though.

'Kol, do you mind if I talk to Elijah for a sec?' She fumbled with her hands, she was nervous already. She needed to tell at least Elijah.

'Sure, darling. I'll be in my room when you need me,' he winked, gave her a quick kiss and turned around to clean up.

* * *

'Elijah!' Cara yelled, certain that he would hear her and come find her. Sure enough, merely seconds later Elijah walked into the living room.

'Still want to hear my story?' She smiled shyly up at him. Elijah was stunned for a second. Wondering what had changed her mind, but he decided to go with it. He placed himself in the big chair, so he could face her.

Cara took a deep breath, and launched into her story. 'I care about what others think of me, since that is exactly what ruined my life.' She snorted. 'I know how ridiculous that sounds, 'cause normally that would make you stop caring. But let me start at the beginning. Hope you don't have anywhere to be?' Elijah shook his head. 'Good. Well, then… Here goes.'

She adjusted her position, laying on her back, staring at the ceiling. It helped to calm her down and arrange her thoughts.

'When I went to high school, I went with my best friend. We had crazy amounts of fun, a close group of friends.. We were always there for each other! Everything was fine, until I decided to go to a higher level of education. I won't bore you with our school system, just go with it,' she added. 'That meant I wouldn't be in the same class as my best friend in the second year, and that was hard. I made new friends, while she stayed with the old ones. Whenever I was with them, it felt off. I felt out of place, no longer accepted. My best friend even lied to me back then about something that was bugging me, and I gave up.' Cara took another deep breath, trying to keep her tears down.

'I hung out more with my new group of friends, even though I didn't really feel accepted there either. Out of that group me and 4 others were exceptionally close. One of them is actually my boyfriend, but we'll get to that. My old friends made mean comments to me, because I had ditched them. That hurt, because I really did love them. But I decided to ignore them, I had new friends! Everything went fine that year. Got together with John, hung out a lot with my new best friend Annie, and we just had fun. After a while the dynamics started to change. Annie and the other guy from our group got together as well.' She hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain this easily.

'Annie knew some other boys from our class from before, and slowly we started hanging out with them. Turned out a friend of theirs used to be my one my closest friends when I was younger. Suffice it to say we all clicked amazingly. This continued for a few months, until Annie fell in love with Casper, the guy I knew, and broke up with her boyfriend for him. They never really got together, as far as I know, but it was enough for her ex to leave our group. Not that I blame him, though.'

'My friendship with the new guys escalated quickly. One of them was my fun-buddy. We didn't share deep things, but we were always making jokes, making fools out of ourselves. Our group was like… The misfits of the school. If you didn't belong anywhere, you'd come to us.' Cara smiled at the memory.

'With the other two, it was different. They became my best friends, and I became theirs. We told each other everything, our deepest secrets. Of course, as physics has told us, we can't be friends with the opposite sex. I fell in love with them. It was really weird, and not at the same time. It started with Riley. I was hopelessly in love, and I broke up with my boyfriend. I was honest with him, even though I still felt horrible. That day I also told Timothy about my feelings for our friend. He said Riley would be thrilled and was very excited! The next day I gathered my nerves and went online. I subtly told Riley what I felt, and he was like: Sure, we could date. I was thrown off. I didn't know what to think of it, but I texted John, wanting to know his opinion. That he didn't respond might have been the best thing that ever happened. Me and Riley decided to stay friends, and our friendship became even better.' A tear leaked out of her eye. If she missed someone, it was him…

'After a short while, I developed feelings for Timothy. Even though he said he didn't like me that way, he sure was giving me mixed signals. After a birthday party of Riley, we all stayed the night at his place, and I was sandwiched between Riley, who looked adorably like a penguin,' Cara giggled, 'and Timothy. Timothy was constantly holding my hand, snuggling up to me… The morning after he acted like nothing had happened though. It sure did shut up my feelings for him. Only then I realized they were only a distraction, and wasn't real love. That was only for John. Unfortunately, before I could tell him, he had moved on with Annie, and they told me all the gory details. I was broken. This circle repeated itself twice, but then with another girl for John.' Cara sighed. She was glad Elijah didn't interrupt her.

'In the end we got together, as you know, and that was a little over 4 years ago. In that time I got sick, and Annie started spreading rumors about me. And even though they couldn't be true, everyone believed them. The only one still standing up for me were Riley, Casper, Timothy, and of course John. When I invited Riley and Timothy over for dinner to thank them, I realized how much they had changed. They weren't the goofy boys anymore. When they were gone, I knew I had lost both of my best friends, again. At school everyone whispered about me, and I had no one left, except for John and Leo, who I met at keyboard class two years ago. I tried to make fun of the rumors, and it had the desired effect, they stopped. But it still hurt like crazy. All of my friends, one by one, had betrayed me in some way. I decided not to care anymore about friends, when I had to leave that school because of my disease.'

'I went to a school for pastry chefs, and made friends quickly, but when I had to drop out because of my disease, I received death threats from one of my "friends",' Cara emphasized the friends part. 'I went to another school, specialized in sick kids, and once again I was the odd one out. I went to school, did my stuff, and usually just sat alone. After the summer, a new girl came, with the same sort of disease I had, and we clicked. We're still friends. But when she wasn't there, I was alone all over again. When I had to drop out there as well, I just gave up completely. I just thought to myself, who cares, I still have John! And then John started acting weird. Suddenly he couldn't deal with my disease anymore, and he started pushing me to do.. things.. sexually. Once, he practically raped me.' Tears were streaming down her face freely now.

She turned her head to look at Elijah, who was staring at her, pale and speechless.

'Every one of those people I once considered friends have left me standing alone. Because of what other people thought of me. Because I was different. That's why it matters to me, what others think. If it's bad, it could change everything up again. That's why I didn't want to tell you before. I don't trust people any more… But since this whole world is still strange to me, I'm guessing it can't do much harm. Worst thing that can happen is that it happens all over again, but then again, you get used to it.' Cara gave a short bitter laugh. 'I don't think for a second me and Kol could actually be happy. Everything around me always falls to pieces, and I doubt this will be different.'

Elijah's heart clenched when seeing Cara's broken face. She didn't think she deserves happiness anymore! A movement caught his eye, but he saw nothing and shrugged it off.

'Cara, I promise you, that I will never turn my back on you… I know that these words might sound like a joke to you, and I get that, but please now, that I mean them.'

Cara smiled at him. 'I know you do. Or at least you do now,' she muttered under her breath. 'I should go to Kol, he'll be wondering what's taking me so long. Please don't tell him, though… I want to have a fresh start, as much as possible, and Kol knowing about this will prevent that…'

Elijah gave her a reassuring smile. 'Don't worry, my lips are sealed.'

Cara nodded and turned got up to walk upstairs, to Kol's room, but Elijah called after her. She turned back, with a questioning gaze.

'I just wanted to know, real quick, how did you get through this?'

Cara gave another bitter laugh. 'I nearly didn't. I almost committed suicide after my grandmother passed away, and a summer boyfriend bluntly ditched me when I was grieving. Tried to overdose. John stopped that from happening. After that I just disappeared in books and TV-shows. The Vampire Diaries used to help really good. Guess that explains why I warm up to you guys so easily, you already seem like friends who helped me through a hard time. Without it, I wouldn't be here right now.' Cara gave him a small smile and left the room.

When she walked up, she noticed that Klaus had returned home. She quickly passed his room, not wanting to run into him.

* * *

Klaus sat on his bed, staring at the wall. Everything suddenly became clear. Her anger, her sadness, her bitterness… He probably shouldn't have eavesdropped, but he couldn't help himself. He did know he needed to apologize to her, since he did exactly what countless of others had done to her before. He had left her out in the cold alone. And he made a promise to himself that he would never do that again.


	27. It's Where My Demons Hide

**Look at me! All updating fast! Hope I can keep this up :). **

**3 reviews this time! Yay! So happy! Maybe we should make this a challenge. If I get 5 reviews on this chapter, I'll update again tonight! -My time tonight, and I live in the Netherlands, so it could differ from yours ;)-**

**Just a quick response to my reviewers!  
Basically you all feel bad for Cara, about what she's been through, and that's good, cause that means I wrote it well! Yay me :D. **

**A little something for lovelyworld35: No that's not weird at all! I usually love the chapters with more backstory as well, even though when it's depressing! Thank you for your review, means a lot to me!**

**They all do, by the way :D.**

**So, here is a new chapter, I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**It's Where My Demons Hide**

Elijah was still dumbfounded by Cara's story. He knew it made no sense, but he got angry at the world for treating her like that. She didn't do anything to deserve this, and yet… He was going to make sure that he'd keep his promise. Here, in this world, she'd have a good life.

* * *

Cara slipped into Kol's room, relieved to see him sitting there. She wasn't up for looking around the mansion for him. He was reading a book, with his headphones on. She wondered what he was listening to. He hadn't noticed her, though, so she cleared her throat and said with a warm smile: 'Thanks for saving my life.'

Kol looked up. Saving her life? When did he do that? 'Ehm, you're welcome? I guess?'

Cara chuckled at his face. It was almost literally formed in the shape of a question mark. 'Just go with it,' she walked up to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, which made Kol beam like a little kid. She shook her head in amusement. This still felt unreal to her.

Kol pulled her onto the bed next to him, and snuggled into her hair, inhaling her lovely scent. 'Everything go alright with Elijah?' He desperately wanted to know what they talked about, but if Cara didn't want to tell him, or at least not just yet, he wouldn't ask. Still, a little jealousy burned through him, he couldn't help it.

'Yeah, it did. It really helped.' She smiled at him, and his insides warmed with love. Love. That must be what he was feeling. Did he have to tell her now? He had no idea. 'Thanks for letting me,' she continued.

'Oh, yeah, sure, darling,' he tried to recompose himself. Badly.

'You alright?' Cara asked, raising an eyebrow. Kol seemed nervous, and she didn't think Kol usually did 'nervous'. Just like he didn't do 'love'. This made her wonder if he actually did love her. Elijah had already blurted out that she loved Kol, but not the other way around. She decided to leave it for now. She wouldn't say it first, though.

Kol put a fake smile on his face and nodded, a confused look on his face. 'I'm fine, don't worry!' He pulled her towards him and crashed his lips on hers. It made every rational thought in his head disappear.

Cara flung her arms around his neck and tried to get even closer to him. Right now, she couldn't care less if Kol loved her, as long as he would keep kissing her like this, feverish, filled with passion. She couldn't shove the thought aside that one day he might leave her, though. Elijah might have promised not to, but Kol isn't Elijah. Until she knew he wouldn't, she'd let her guard down, but not now.

Kol loved that Cara wanted to be even closer, so he moved them, so that he was once more hovering over her on the bed. Cara looked up at him, with eyes full of love, and pain? This hurt him. He knew in the back of his head that it didn't have to anything with him, but he couldn't stand to see her like this, so he decided to make her forget her pain. Before he even knew what he was doing, he slowly lowered his head, and just before their lips touched, he whispered: 'I love you Cara, forever and always…' He looked into her eyes, saw a single tear dropping, and then he got pulled down. Cara was kissing him like there was no tomorrow, and he loved it. It felt right.

_HE LOVES ME!_ Was all that Cara could think while kissing him with all of her might. She may not truly believe it, she had heard those words before, but right now, it felt good.

Their tongues explored each other's mouths, and their hands explored their bodies. Cara had fumbled up his shirt, so she could touch his back for real. Slowly she touched every inch of it, reveling in the feel of it.

Kol gave a soft moan when her hands connected with his skin. He moved down to her neck, and started to kiss it, which made Cara moan in return. He smirked. This was how it was supposed to be. His hand slipped under her shirt and he ran them up and down her sides.

Cara's back involuntarily arched against him. God, he was good. She pulled his shirt over his head, which made him give her a devilish grin. She giggled, and stared in wonder at his chest. It was just pure perfection. Her hands softly wondered around his torso.

'Well, this isn't exactly fair, now is it?' Kol muttered a little breathless against her ear. Shivers ran down her spine, and she shrugged, while grinning like an idiot.

Kol pulled her up into a sitting position, and slid off her shirt. He felt his eyes darkening at the sight of her, and he attacked her lips again. Softly he laid them down again, and soon he started to trail kisses from her mouth, down to her neck.

Cara fisted her hands in his hair, trying to keep some hold on herself as he lowered even more, giving little wet kisses on her collarbone. She could almost feel him buzzing with excitement about her responses. _I can feel him as well_. She chuckled on the inside.

When Kol got to her breasts he hesitated. He didn't know how far she wanted to take this. He decided he'd go gentle on her, and gave soft kisses on the exposed flesh. He knew he made a good choice when Cara's back arched once more.

He looked back up at her, and saw her beautiful face. He quickly closed the distance, while feeling Cara's hands caress his back once more, and kissed her again. Cara moaned into his mouth, which made him moan in return.

Cara pushed Kol softly away, wanting to catch her breath. She smiled up at him, feeling happier and better than ever. That feeling soon vanished when someone knocked on the door.

Kol just looked annoyed and got up to open the door. Cara quickly grabbed her shirt and put it back on, throwing Kol's shirt to him. He tilted his head with a smirk as he watched it fall down before his feet. He pushed it aside with his foot a bit, and opened the door. Bare chested. Cara rolled her eyes. She should've known. This was still Kol.

'Klaus,' Kol said disgusted. 'You're interrupting something, brother.'

Cara reddened and pulled herself under the blankets.

'So I can see,' Klaus said, while eyeing his brother. No shirt, swollen lips, messed up hair, he could guess what he was interrupting. 'Unfortunately, I don't care,' he continued. 'I'd like to talk to Cara. I figure she's with you?'

Kol started to seethe on the inside again. How dared his brother to suggest such a thing! He gave a tight nod and before he could say anything, Cara appeared next to him, putting a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down.

'What is it you want to talk to me about?' Cara said harshly. She was still pissed at him for daggering Kol and all that had come with it. He left her unprotected, while he was the one who said she needed it.

Klaus looked at Kol, and Cara sighed. 'Whatever you have to say, just say it.'

Kol felt a rush of joy. She trusted him at least enough to hear what Klaus had to say.

'Well, okay, then,' Klaus said, not wanting to look uncomfortable. 'I, ehm, just wanted to apologize. I may have overreacted today.' Cara raised an eyebrow, and Klaus sighed. 'Fine, I have overreacted today. I shouldn't have daggered Kol, and I shouldn't have gotten angry with you…' Klaus looked Cara in the eyes. 'I am sorry, and I will make sure it won't happen again.'

Cara looked at him. He seemed to mean it. But then again, she also heard these words before.

'I forgive you, but it is not yet forgotten,' she finally said.

Klaus gave her a smile. 'That's good enough for me,' he said warmly. He actually wanted to talk about what she had told Elijah, but he couldn't do that, since she made it clear that Kol couldn't know. 'I'll leave you to it, then,' he smirked. 'Enjoy your evening!' He winked and walked away.


	28. It Runs In The Family

**Unfortunately no 5 reviews, not that I really expected it, hahaha! **

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**So, another chapter. I hope you like it :D!**

* * *

**It Runs In The Family**

Kol closed the door, and looked at Cara confused. 'You forgave him? Just like that?'

Cara rolled her eyes. 'Did you not hear what I said? I haven't forgotten yet. This might be forgiven, but if he screws up one more time, he's done. Then this counts again.'

Kol just stared at her in confusion. He didn't really understood women and their mind games. He decided to just go with it. 'If you say so, darling,' he smirked.

Cara shook her head and took off her shirt. Before she could pick up her pajama shirt, Kol was standing in front of her, grinning.

'So where did we leave off?'

Cara whacked him in the chest, playfully. 'We left off at the perfect moment. Now I am changing, I'm tired. I know it's early, but I am sure you will find some company with your brothers? I am sure they'd like to catch up with you or something.' Cara smiled at Kol and looked around for her shirt. Oh. Right. This wasn't her room. Go Cara.

Kol realized this as well, and raised an eyebrow at her, while giving her his best smirk. If she would go for her shirt back, he would pick it up first.

Cara saw the gleam in Kol's eyes, and knew she would never get her shirt back. So she smirked back at him, turned around and opened the door.

Kol just stood there, his mouth slightly open, astounded by Cara once again. There she went, just in her jeans and bra, crossing the hallway.

He ran after her, and closed her door behind them. 'What if Nik or Elijah saw you?' he hissed.

Cara shrugged, she sure would have loved that to happen. 'Then they would have seen me.' She rolled her eyes at his disgusted face. 'Don't be like that! It's not like you would have given me my shirt back. It's your fault really,' she said nonchalantly while pulling her pajama shirt over her head.

She changed her jeans into her sweats, she seriously needed to thank Damon for picking those up for her. If he ever called… She shook away the thought, and reveled in the soft and warmness of the pants.

She tilted her head at Kol. 'Well… Weren't you going to spend time with your brothers?'

Kol was trying to find something snarky to say, when he got pushed out of the room.

Cara kissed him on the cheek, told him goodnight, and closed the door. She didn't bother to lock it. He would be able to open it anyway. She heard him give a soft chuckle before he walked away.

She was definitely something, Kol thought. Pushing him out of the room. He had killed for less. Even though he wanted to spend more time with Cara, she was right. He had to spend more time with his brothers. He walked down the stairs, already hearing his brothers. They were talking about something. It sounded important. Well, maybe he could help shine some light on it?

* * *

'Elijah, we need to talk,' Klaus said, while walking into the leaving room, grabbing Elijah's book out of his hands.

'Do we now?' Elijah asked, slightly irritated.

'We do. It's about Cara.'

Elijah raised his eyebrows. 'Didn't she accept your apology?'

'She did, but I wanted to talk to her about what she told you, but Kol was there.'

Elijah just stared at Klaus with a blank expression. 'Please enlighten me?'

'Cara talked to you about her past today. I overheard you, and normally I would feel bad about that, but this time I don't. But,-'

'You eavesdropped? Niklaus, that is low, even for you,' Elijah interrupted his brother. 'You were not supposed to hear that!'

Klaus shrugged. 'I know, but I do know now. And I don't want anything like that to ever happen again, and I wanted her to know that. But Kol was there, and since she specifically asked you not to tell him, I didn't think I should be the one to break the news to him.'

'What news?' Kol asked, while stepping into the room. His brothers looked at him as if he had just caught them stealing candy.

'What didn't Cara want me to know?' Kol was awfully calm. He wasn't going to ask her what she had talked about with Elijah, but if his brothers were so worked up over it, it had to be something bad. Or at least important. He wanted to know.

'Cara talked about her past to me,' Elijah sighed. 'I won't go into details, since I promised her I wouldn't.'

Kol immediately got the importance of that promise. He turned around and faced Klaus. 'You didn't. You weren't even supposed to know in the first place. You could tell me.'

Klaus held his hands up. 'She didn't want you to know, so I won't tell you.'

Kol started to feel anger rising up. Why was Cara so set on keeping him in the dark?

'She told you why she cares about opinions of others?' Kol asked Elijah, trying to fill in the puzzle.

Elijah nodded. 'Amongst other things.'

'Then I need to know!' Kol exclaimed. 'If I don't know what makes her angry, or what makes her feel insecure, how can I avoid making her feel like that?'

Elijah shook his head. 'I don't know… I guess you should really talk to Cara about this, Kol.' He gave his little brother an apologetic smile.

'But she won't tell me!' Kol felt his anger get the better of him, and he thought it would be best if he would just leave for now. He let out a final growl and sped out, slamming the door on his way out.

* * *

Cara was dozing off pretty fast, liking the way that little moment between stages felt, when she heard yelling coming from downstairs, followed by a door being slammed shut. She expected Kol to come up, but she heard nothing. Which probably meant he was the one that just left.

Quickly she got up, put on a robe, and rushed down the stairs. When she practically ran into the living room, she crashed into Klaus.

'Slow down, love, don't want to get hurt, do you?' Klaus smiled.

Cara instantly noticed that his smile was off. Something was wrong. She instantly got worried.

'Where's Kol?' she demanded, putting her hands to her sides.

'Come sit down, Cara,' Elijah's soothing voice came from the couch.

Reluctantly she walked over and sat down. She looked at Elijah, her question still in her eyes.

'We don't know where he went, but it's a good thing he left. He is just blowing off steam.'

'Blowing off steam? What does he need to do that for?'

Elijah took a deep breath, and looked Cara straight into the eyes. 'We wouldn't tell him what you told me about your past. He was pretty upset. You really should tell him Cara… He doesn't want to hurt you and I hate to say this, but Kol was right… He doesn't want you to hurt, but he can't know how to prevent that if you won't tell him what hurts you.'

Cara nodded. 'I know, and I was going to tell him, when I was ready. I needed to feel safe first. I still feel scared. Not of you,' she quickly added, 'it's just still weird to be here.'

She got sympathetic smiles from Elijah and Klaus and that's when it hit her.

'By the way, what do you mean, WE wouldn't tell him? HE knows?' she pointed her finger at Klaus, while watching Elijah in shock. She did not expect this from him.

'Now, Cara, love, before you go accusing my brother, he didn't do anything wrong. I overheard your conversation, and I listened in. I just confronted him myself of my knowing, and of course, Kol heard that. Guess eavesdropping runs in the family,' he smirked.

Cara couldn't even bring herself to be mad at Klaus. She got up and walked to the door.

'Where are you going?' Klaus asked worried.

'I am going to find Kol, and tell him. I won't be able to sleep anyway, knowing that he's out there somewhere, being mad. God knows what would happen.'

She walked out, ignoring Klaus' words, and slammed it shut in his face. That felt good. She then noticed she wasn't wearing any shoes or socks. She shrugged. Kol was more important right now. She took a deep breath, and walked towards the town.


	29. What Am I To You?

**Hey guys! It's been a while, and I am very sorry. I just had to work, hospital, work, work, going to the zoo, work some more.. And even right now, I should be delivering papers, but I am too tired. So, I decided to write you guys another chapter! I hope I can keep the regular updating up, but remember, reviews help with that! Cause then I get a reminder in my mail that I have a story I should write for, hahaha.**

I couldn't help myself with two little Game of Thrones references. I mean, seriously? Last episode, really shocked me. I'm still not over it. 

**I know that at least 150 people read every chapter, so 5 reviews should be a piece of cake right? 5 reviews, and another chapter will be up TODAY!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**What Am I To You?**

Cara had no real idea of where Kol was, but she guessed this was one of those times when he would just go the Grill and get wasted. She sighed. She hoped that at least he wouldn't be too drunk when she got there. If he was there to begin with. She pulled her robe closer to her body, and walked into the Grill.

She gasped at what she saw. Tables turned, chairs broken and sprawled across the place, broken glass all over the floor…

She looked around for a familiar face. 'Matt!' she called out, while staying in the doorway. She was aware of her bare feet.

Matt came over to her, glancing at her feet. 'Cara, what are you doing here?'

'Looking for Kol. Guess I just missed him?'

Matt looked grim. 'He got mad when we wouldn't give him a second bottle of Bourbon. It's our best whiskey! We can't give all of it to one guy, even if that guy is an Orginal…'

Cara felt sorry for Matt. He was trying to apologize. 'Matt, look at me. This is not your fault. It's a good thing you didn't give it to him!' Cara looked around. 'And he sure as hell didn't need to trash everything!'

'What happened, Cara? Why was he getting himself drunk here?' Matt asked, suddenly full of worry.

'Long story. He overheard something. Something he wasn't supposed to hear, obviously. Now he's mad at Klaus and Elijah for not telling him everything. I suppose he's also pissed at me for not telling him in the first place.' She sighed. 'If this is anyone's fault, it's mine.' She stared at the floor, and fumbled with her fingers.

Matt put a hand on her shoulder. 'I'm guessing you are out here right now, to find him and tell him?'

Cara nodded. 'That's the plan,' she said while giving a fake laugh.

'Then go find him, before he does anything stupid.' Matt pushed her gently out of the door, and put up the 'Closed' sign. 'Good luck, Cara, I hope you find him soon,' he smiled warmly.

* * *

Cara watched Matt go back inside, and she stood there for a moment. Where the hell could he have gone? He could be anywhere!

She never really talked to Kol. She had no idea about his personal life. Except for the few things she knew from the show. He liked bats. That made her snicker. Maybe cool to give him for his birthday. If she knew when that was. Her face fell again. She knew absolutely nothing, and it was horrible.

How could she blame Kol for being mad about this, when she doesn't like the fact that she doesn't know anything about him? It's basically the same. Only with her she didn't have to hear it from someone else.

She decided to call Elijah. Maybe he has returned home? Cara knew in the back of her head, that if he did, Elijah would've let her know, but still.

_'Cara? Are you okay?_' Elijah asked worriedly.  
'Yeah, I am, I guess. Listen, did Kol come back?'  
'_No, not yet. So he's not with you either?'  
_'Nope, but he did just trash the Mystic Grill after they denied him his second bottle of Bourbon. I kind of hoped he would just go home after he left there, but I guess he didn't.' Cara sighed. 'I have no idea where to look for him now…'  
_'Why don't you just call out his name? Just like you did with me when you needed me?'  
_'That's because I knew you could hear me. But I guess I could give it a shot. I am already in my PJs and robe, with bare feet. Shouting a name across town doesn't really make it worse, right?'  
'_I suppose it doesn't,_' Elijah chuckled. '_Good luck, and let me know when you find him!'_

Cara put away her phone, and shook her head. She might look like an idiot already, but acting like one was a whole different level. She walked to the Town's Square, took a deep breath, and shouted on the top of her lungs. 'KOL! Where the hell are you!?' She sat down on a bench, and muttered: 'you son of a bitch'. This made her chuckle. He was actually, a son of a bitch.

When she heard nothing in the next few minutes, she yelled again. 'This is not funny Kol! I swear to God-'

'What do you swear to God?' Kol slurred, while shoving a hand over her mouth.

Cara jumped at his presence, and noticed right away that he reeked of alcohol.

'Answer me!' he growled.

Cara raised an eyebrow, and looked down, where his hand was still on her mouth.

Quickly he removed it.

'Well, hello, Kol. How nice of you to show up,' she started, ignoring his burning eyes. They scared the hell out of her, but she wouldn't show him.

This got her a confused look. 'You called,' he said, furrowing his eyebrows as if he wanted to say: of course I come when you call me.

Cara rolled her eyes. 'You stink,' she said, pushing him away from her.

'I might have had a drink too much,' Kol smirked, already sobering up.

'You might?' Cara snapped. 'Seriously, Kol! You can't run off to drink every time something happens!'

'Why not?' Kol snarled back. 'Why can't I drown myself in misery with alcohol when the girl I supposedly love apparently doesn't trust me?!'

'You supposedly love?' Cara whispered. Tears welled up. So when he said it, he didn't even know it was true? She knew it.

'I knew it!' she yelled, while pushing hard against his chest. 'I KNEW you didn't mean it, you bastard!' she slapped him across the face, and just glared at him. 'I was right not to trust you just yet,' she hissed.

Kol got pushed back, and slapped in the face. He saw the anger in Cara's eyes, and heard that she was incredibly hurt. He tried to recall what he had said exactly, that had pissed Cara off just now, and his heart flooded with terror.

_No, no, no, no… I did not just say I supposedly loved her! IDIOT! Stupid alcohol! That was so not what I meant to say! For crying out loud!_

'Oh god, Cara,' he whispered, while absentmindedly grabbing her fist out of the air before she could punch him again. 'I was mad, and I meant to say that the girl who supposedly loved me doesn't trust me…'

Cara saw his broken face, and knew that he was probably telling the truth.

'So you don't believe I love you?' she hissed once more.

'No, I-' Kol began.

'You really think, that I would run out of your house, in my PJs and robe, without any socks or shoes, to find you and tell everything, if I didn't love you?' She was trembling right now. Was he really that ignorant?

'No one ever loved me,' Kol began. 'Not really. I am just still waiting for the blow. The one that reveals this was all some plot to get something.'

'Then why the hell did you say you loved me!?' Cara yelled frustrated. She seriously did not get this.

'Because I wasn't thinking!' Kol snapped. 'I wasn't thinking, I blurted it out!'

He quickly continued when he saw the tears coming up again in Cara's eyes.

'I meant it, Cara, I really did! I DO love you! I just didn't want to say it before I was convinced you really loved me back. All of it, it felt right! The words, the tear from you, the kiss afterwards.. I'm just not used to love and being loved, and I am scared you decide to walk away any minute now. That it wasn't as real for you as it was for me…'

So he really did love her. He just had issues. Major issues at that, but still. It explained some of it.

'The fact that you didn't trust me, was the alarm bell for me,' Kol shrugged. 'So I left, and wanted to drink myself into oblivion. Couldn't really handle losing you sober.'

All the anger drained from Cara's body. She wouldn't pretend what he did was right, but she understood.

'I didn't trust you, because I was too afraid of scaring you off,' Cara said, loosening his grip on her hand, so she could hold his. 'My past is dark,' _and full of terrors _'and I didn't want you to know just yet. I wanted you to like me, love me, for who I was, and not out of pity.' She sighed. 'When Elijah told me what happened, I knew I made a mistake, and I came to find you immediately to tell you everything. '

She looked up into his eyes. 'And even though I am terribly sorry for not telling you, you could have just come to me, and ask for me to tell you,' she said.

Kol nodded. 'I know. I should have. My emotions got the better of me, still trying to deal with that.'

Cara smiled. 'I know, and it will get better, don't worry. Now, sit down, and brace yourself. You wanted to know about my past? Well, here goes.'

And once again, for the second time that day, Cara launched into her story.


	30. I Won't Come Back

**Ohmygosh you guys! 6 reviews! 4 from members, 2 from guests :D. Thank you all so much! I did NOT expect this! But, I did it! There are only 10 minutes left of this day, and here is a new chapter! It's a little shorter than usual, but I felt the ending to the chapter was right. **

**I also have good news! I am going to the VampiCon in Budapest this October to see Nate once more :D. Any of you going as well?**

**Well, I hope you enjoy!**

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**I Won't Come Back**

Kol wasn't nearly as quiet as Elijah, but she could've seen that one coming. She answered all of his questions as she could. Most of the time, she just had to say that she would come to that. Besides from that, Kol was watching her with a heartbroken look on his face.

When she got to the end, she decided to tell the bit as well as to how she got through. She knew that Kol would ask if she didn't.

'You nearly killed yourself?' Kol managed to whisper in shock. 'And that bastard that practically raped you saved you from it? I don't get it.' He shook his head in shock and confusion.

Cara shook her head. Hadn't he been listening?

'Kol, between the saving and the raping,' she chuckled at the rhyme, 'there were two years. A lot changed.' _Obviously_.

'And you're still with this boy back home?' he spat angry.

Cara nodded. 'Yeah, but that wouldn't have lasted long anymore anyway,' she shrugged.

'What if you are still there? What if you came back after your mom texted you? What if they have no idea you're also here?' Kol asked. 'That would mean you're still with that guy.'

This surprised Cara. She had never even thought of this possibility. 'That would mean I could still be with that guy, there's a difference,' she recovered quickly. If this were true, her bunnies didn't have to suffer! This made her smile.

'Whatever, but still. What made you stop loving him in the first place?' Kol asked curious, wanting to know every bit.

'Well, at first I started to get annoyed at every little thing that he said or did. Then I got to know Nate, and well, he opened my eyes to what things could be like…'

'Nate?' Kol asked confused. He hadn't heard that name before.

Cara laughed. This was too ironic, even for her.

'What's so funny?'

'Nate, or Nathaniel, is the actor that plays you on that show,' Cara chuckled. 'And once he showed me what it could be like, I started thinking that it would be better if I broke up with my boyfriend. I didn't get the chance to yet, though.'

Then a thought struck her. If she was still back home somehow, her other self would have actually met Nate by now! Gosh, even here her bad luck followed her around.

'Hmm.. I don't like this Nathaniel guy,' Kol said cold. 'I give him credit for opening your eyes to see what a dick your boyfriend was, but that's it. I don't like the way your eyes sparkle when you talk about him.'

Cara couldn't help but laugh at this. He had no idea how funny this sounded, and she was too tired to hold it together. She laughed until the tears streamed down her face, and Kol was looking at her as if she'd lost it. Well, maybe she had. Who knows?

'Cara, snap out of it,' Kol said annoyed. He did not know what was so funny, but he didn't like being out on it.

Slowly she regained her breath, and she wiped her tears. She felt laughter bubbling up when she looked at Kol, and she couldn't see past "Nate", but she held it back.

'So, now you're normal again,' Kol rolled his eyes, 'I just want to say that I am glad you're still alive.' His eyes softened and he gave her a soft kiss on the lips. 'You really shouldn't have to go through these things, and I will try everything that I can to not let it happen again.'

Cara smiled up at him, and hugged him tight. 'Thank you,' she whispered.

* * *

**Got him. He's okay. He knows. Back soon. Don't worry. Xx**

Elijah shook his head at that text. Could she be any shorter about it? At least she found Kol and everything was fine.

'Cara found Kol,' Elijah said to Klaus, who hadn't stopped pacing since Cara left. 'She says he's okay and that he knows now. They'll be back soon, you can stop worrying now.'

Klaus stopped pacing. 'Good, good…' he muttered. 'I am sorry for eavesdropping,' he told Elijah. 'If I hadn't, this would've been avoided.'

Elijah gave his brother a small smile. 'It's okay. It's in our nature. Just be happy everything's fine again.'

The door opened and Kol came in, carrying Cara. Klaus and Elijah exchanged worried looks, and looked at Kol questioningly. Kol ignored them and rushed upstairs, where he quickly put Cara to bed. She was exhausted, and he made her do things she really shouldn't have.

'I'm sorry, Cara,' he whispered. He gave her a quick kiss on her forehead, and went downstairs to face his brothers.

When Kol got downstairs, he got immediately cornered by Klaus. 'Where's Cara?' he growled.

Kol rolled his eyes. 'She went to bed early because she was tired, and then came running after me. She was exhausted, so I carried her here. She fell asleep in my arms and I just put her to bed.' He gave his brother a smirk. 'You can go check if you want to. She's still breathing.'

Klaus growled and let him go.

'So,' Elijah cleared his throat. 'You know now?'

Kol nodded. Only now he got angry. 'She got treated badly. She didn't deserve that! If only I could make those people pay…'

'But you can't,' Elijah said, while putting a hand on Kol's shoulder. 'You are going to have to let this one go, and just be there for Cara. I know it will be hard on you, but you're going to have to. You can't dwell on impossible revenge.'

Kol knew his brother was right. He would try, for her. But only because he loved her. He then shared his theory with his brothers, and both of them looked surprised.

'None of you thought of that?' Kol asked arrogantly.

Klaus shot him a glare. 'Well, it would certainly make things easier,' he said through gritted teeth. She wouldn't have to worry about her family and pets, and she can have her own life here. With you,' Klaus smirked a little at Kol's happy face.

Elijah smiled warmly at his little brother, and he hoped with all of his heart that Cara could stay. And that she wanted to.

'Well, if you two don't mind, I am going up as well. I could use the sleep,' Kol said.

Both of his brothers wished him goodnight, and Kol rushed up. He slowly opened the door, and saw to his content that Cara was still sleeping. He changed into his sweatpants quickly, and he slid under the covers next to her.

He brushed her hair softly, and Cara scooted over. She laid her head on his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist. Kol sighed a sigh of relief and content, and allowed himself to fall asleep.


	31. You Found Me

**So many reviews! They make me so happy :). Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**Okay, this chapter sucked to write. Don't worry, nothing bad. Or at least not story wise, hahaha. I just suck at this. I hope I did it justice anyway :)**

**-Oh, if you want a laugh, please go to youtube, and search for How To Write A Love Song by The Axis of Awesome. It is funny in itself, but even better when you imagine Nate, Ian & Paul singing/doing that. Ian as Jordan, the chubby one, Paul as Lee, the tall awkward one and Nate as Benny, the blond one. I know I laughed A LOT, hahahaha-**

**Enjoy the chapter :D!**

* * *

**You Found Me**

Cara woke up, feeling extremely tired. No surprises there. She pulled herself free from Kol and checked her phone hopefully. Her heart sank when she saw she didn't have any messages. Why hadn't Damon called yet?

**Hey! Had a rough day yesterday. Kol being daggered and all. Have you heard from Damon by any chance?..**

She hit sent and hoped Caroline would reply soon and had some news.

**Hey sweetie! I've heard. Hope you're okay! Haven't really heard from Damon, though. You should call Stefan. I'm a bit busy… Tyler is back :D! x**

Cara smiled. So Klaus had followed her advice, good for him! Then she sighed. Calling Stefan. She didn't really get along well with Stefan. She got up and walked down to the kitchen, after checking no one was around.

She selected his number, took a deep breath, and dialed.

'S_tefan,_' his voice rang in her ear.  
'Hi, it's Cara…' she said nervous.  
'_Cara!_' Stefan exclaimed. '_How are you?_'  
'I'm fine enough, bit tired though.'  
'_Guess that was to be expected after yesterday. How is Kol?_'

This took Cara by surprise. Stefan was asking about Kol?

'He is as fine as can be expected. But, I called with a reason,' she said, getting nervous again.  
'_I figured so much_.' Cara could almost feel Stefan's smile.  
'I just wanted to know how Damon is doing? He hasn't called yet and… well…' her voice trailed off.  
'_Damon is doing… okay. He was really crushed, but couldn't deny the connection between you and Kol. He is coming around, though. I think you can expect a call any day now, Cara. I'll let him know you're okay._'

Cara smiled. She still felt awful for what she did to Damon, but she had no regrets.

'Thanks, Stefan… I appreciate it!'  
'_You're welcome! Talk to you later!'_

Cara hung up the phone and just stared outside the window for a moment.

'Anything interesting outside, sweetheart?' Klaus' voice came from behind her.

She turned around and shook her head. 'Was just staring into nothing.'

'So, how's Damon?' Klaus asked nonchalantly.

Cara gasped. 'Really, Klaus? Again? You are the worst… But then again, I am making a phone call in a house full of vampires. Guess it's my fault as well.' She shook her head. 'But, Damon is doing okay. He is coming around according to Stefan.'

Klaus nodded. 'Good. You need friends. Talking about friends… How is Caroline?'

Cara rolled her eyes and smirked. 'Subtle, Klaus, very subtle.'

Klaus shrugged apologetically.

'Caroline is busy, but good. She told me Tyler was back?' Cara raised an eyebrow.

Klaus looked uncomfortable. 'I figured it couldn't hurt to at least try to enact the things you told me. She was extremely grateful.' Klaus smiled at the memory. 'So now I should just let them be for a while? Just be a friend to her?'

Cara nodded. 'See, you're getting the hang of it already! It'll be fine,' Cara smiled encouragingly. She got a warm smile back from Klaus and when she walked by to go back up, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

She could sense Klaus was a bit baffled, which made her laugh. She slipped back under the covers, surprised to see Kol was still asleep. _Guess being dead does that to you. _She decided to use this to her advantage.

She pulled the covers up, and swung her leg around his hips, so she was sitting on top of him. She snickered softly when she felt his body respond.

She let her hands wander over his bare chest and leaned forward to give him a soft kiss to wake him up. She felt him stir a little, and knew he was fighting to stay asleep. She smirked and kissed him again, while letting her hands move a little lower.

Cara felt a rush of joy when she heard Kol moan softly. How long could she keep this up without fully awakening him? She guessed he was purposefully staying like this, but she couldn't care less. She never had the upper hand.

Her hands still on his upper body, teasing him every once in a while, she started to kiss his neck, with wet open mouth kisses. She wriggled with joy when she felt him tremble with pleasure. Now she knew she was right. He was awake. She guessed he wanted to know what she would do.

She continued kissing him, slowly working her way down. She had to adjust her sitting position to be able to get lower, and she heard Kol groaning softly. _Oops. Guess I hit something sensitive_. She smirked and trailed her kisses further down, until she was at the top of his pants. She was having huge amounts of fun how much self-control this must be costing Kol.

Cara felt confident. She didn't know why, but she went with it. While her hands slowly traced his chest, she quickly licked the bit of skin above his pants. She had to hold back her chuckle when she saw his pants moving, and heard him hold back another moan.

She shoved herself back up to his hips, and rolled her eyes when she saw him biting his lip. She moved her head next to his ear and whispered: 'Getting excited now are you?' She nibbled a bit on his ear lobe and that pushed him over the edge.

Kol had a hard time keeping himself still, but damn, was that worth it! She obviously knew what she was doing. When she whispered in his ear, and nibbled on his ear lobe, he couldn't hold himself back any longer. When she came back up again, he opened his eyes and quickly moved to be on top himself.

Cara gasped by the look in his eyes. They were almost black with lust. For her. She enjoyed being able to make him feel like this.

'Very,' Kol whispered hoarse, answering her question. He loved how her eyes were matching his in lust. Difference was that she had a lot of amusement in her eyes as well. She knew damn well that she had been playing him and that it worked. Normally, that would irritate him, but with Cara… He couldn't help but love it.

'Good,' Cara whispered back, as she pulled him down for a real kiss.

The kiss started soft, but deepened almost instantly. Cara's body was on fire all over again. They stopped to catch their breaths, and they just stared into each other's eyes. Cara caught the unspoken question in Kol's eyes and as an answer she got up, so their faces were only inches apart, brushed her lips against his and moved his hands to the hem of her shirt.

Kol's eyes widened, but he didn't argue. He pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it across the room. Her beauty took his breath away and he pushed her down only to crush her lips in the process.

As his hands wandered down, caressing her breasts, Cara's breath hitched. She arched her back, and Kol got the hint. Smoothly he unclipped her bra, and tossed it after her shirt.

After Kol started taking care of her instead of the other way around, Cara's mind went blank. She was just enjoying everything. Every touch, every little moan from Kol whenever she would do something that pleased him…

* * *

Breathing heavily, Cara snuggled up to Kol. God, she couldn't remember the last time it had felt this good. But then again, the last times weren't completely with her consent. She shook away the thought, and brought herself up on her elbows to give Kol a light kiss on his lips, while smiling.

Kol was staring at the ceiling in wonder when he felt Cara snuggling up to him. Absentmindedly he put his arm around her. He had done these things so many times before, without the snuggling obviously, but it had never felt anything remotely close to this. Kol got pulled out of his thoughts by a kiss. He looked into Cara's eyes, and saw her smile, and knew it had felt the same for her. He gave her a warm smile back, kissed her once, and put her back to her own side of the bed. He took a tissue from his nightstand and wiped the blood from her neck carefully. He couldn't even remember biting her.

Cara was surprised to see that there was blood on her neck. Did he bite her? _Apparently._ She couldn't even remember. It made her smile.  
Cara slightly pouted when she saw Kol getting out of bed, putting his pants back on. He hung them extremely low on his hips. She knew he just did that to torture her. She rolled her eyes at him, and he smirked.

'You just stay here, darling,' Kol said, while walking to the door. 'I'll be right back with breakfast. I think that's more than appropriate,' he winked and left.

Cara let herself fall back into her pillows, grinning like an idiot.


	32. Come With Me

**So relieved you liked the last chapter! Glad you thought I did it justice :).**

**I am over 70 reviews already, and I am wondering what I will do when I reach 100! If I'll make it, of course, hahaha. Any ideas :)?**

**Anyways, here is a new chapter, and it's fluffy. Be warned. Not the kind you might expect, but still. I hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

**Come With Me**

'Don't you look cheerful?' Klaus asked suspicious when Kol entered the kitchen in his sweatpants.

Kol rolled his eyes. 'Can't I just be in a good mood for a change?' He toned down his grin immediately, and tried to act normal, which was hard, since he was already trying not to whistle. Whistling. Gosh, he was hooked.

'Oh, quit the act, Kol,' Rebekah's bored voice came from behind him. 'He got lucky this morning,' she said dismissively to Klaus.

Klaus' eyebrows shot up to his hair line. 'Did you hurt her?' Immediately worried.

Rebekah chuckled. 'From what I've heard, she was having the best time. Don't worry, Nik, she's fine.'

Kol shot her a glare. Not that she was lying, but still.

'What?' Rebekah asked quasi-offended. 'I didn't quite get it, though.' She walked up to the counter, and sat herself on it, blocking Kol from getting ingredients.

'What do you mean?' Klaus said curious, amused at Kol's angry face.

'Well, she was all chuckling, and I didn't hear anything from Kol. At least, not at first. When I heard Cara gasping in surprise I knew Kol was up to something, and after that the common noises began,' Rebekah chuckled again. 'But the fact that I only heard Cara in the beginning is weird. What happened?' She looked Kol in the eyes, hers sparkling with amusement at her brother's dismay.

Before Kol could snap at her, Elijah walked in. 'Please, Rebekah. Let the boy have some privacy. It was their special morning, and now he just wants to make her breakfast. Leave him be.'

Rolling her eyes, Rebekah got off the counter. 'I will find out, you know. I am still taking Cara shopping any day now. Maybe today is the perfect day!' Rebekah ran up the stairs before Kol could stop her. He growled and started grabbing the things he needed.

'What are you making?' Elijah asked smiling. He really enjoyed his brother like this. It filled him with joy that Kol was happy.

Kol took a deep breath, glad for the distraction, glared daggers at Klaus once more for his wide grin, and smiled once more like the happy kid he was.

'Pancakes,' he said while getting everything ready.

'Chocolate chip ones?' Elijah said, while helping his brother out. Kol was way too flustered to get anything done.

'No, I am going to go with normal ones. With strawberries and a bit of ice cream…' He looked around. 'We do have strawberries, right?'

Klaus chuckled and pointed to where the strawberries were. He enjoyed this immensely. He hoped one day to be able to do this for Caroline.

'Why not chocolate chip? Doesn't everyone love that?' Klaus asked, eyebrow raised.

'Yeah, well, with Cara, I think it's more of the opposite. What everyone loves, she loathes. Seriously, who doesn't like lettuce? It's one of the most common things around!'

Elijah laughed at this. His brother had a point. 'I think making normal ones is the smart thing to do, indeed.'

Elijah and Kol both ignored Klaus' questioning gaze. He didn't have to know.

'Then how do you she likes strawberries and ice cream?' Klaus asked, annoyed. Why was he always out on everything?

Kol shrugged. 'I don't. But if she doesn't, she can put it aside, and all is well.'

Elijah smiled to himself. While he was making the actual pancakes, Kol was busy washing and slicing the strawberries.

Klaus watched his brothers in amazement. They looked so… normal, peaceful. True brothers. He never had this connection with any of them. He was too set on protecting them.

When the pancakes were done, Kol started plating really carefully. Elijah didn't think it would matter to Cara how her plate looked, but he just let him. He started cleaning everything up, and when Kol put everything on a tray, with a glass of fresh orange juice, he said: 'And don't you dare say you cooked those pancakes!' Kol rolled his eyes and smirked. 'We'll see about that, brother,' he said grinning while walking out.

Elijah just shook his head. This was as much of a thank you he would get. When everything was clean again, he noticed Klaus had left. He shrugged and left himself.

* * *

Kol came in with a tray balancing on one hand, with a big smile on his face. He set the tray on the bed, climbed in, and put it on his lap.

'Breakfast has arrived!' Kol said with a cheeky smile. 'I hope you'll like it!'

Cara scoffed. 'It'd better be delicious. It took you forever!'

Kol just stared at her, had it really been that long? He then saw the sparkle in her eyes and he threw a piece of strawberry at her face.

'Not funny! I was slaving away to make you this breakfast, and you're complaining about how long it took? Perfection takes time, darling,' he said cocky. He then heard Elijah coughing downstairs. He rolled his eyes. 'Okay fine. Elijah slaved away making these pancakes, while I was too busy panicking about the lack of strawberries,' he muttered. Downstairs, he heard Elijah chuckle. 'But still,' he piped up. 'Whoever cooked them, perfection takes time!'

Cara had the idea Elijah was listening in, to make sure Kol didn't take the credit. She took a bite of the pancakes and moaned at the fluffiness. 'They're delicious, Elijah, thank you!' she yelled downstairs, just knowing he would be laughing by now.

When she saw Kol pout, she gave a soft kiss on his nose. 'I think it's cute you were panicking. Elijah is a great brother to help you out like that,' she smiled warmly. But then again, she was still Cara, and she couldn't help herself. 'And those strawberries are cut to perfection,' she said while keeping a straight face.

Kol scoffed and took a bite of the pancakes himself. He had hoped they wouldn't taste that good, but they did. 'Fine, you win this round, brother,' he muttered.

* * *

When they were finished, Cara gave Kol a quick kiss before getting up. She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom.

'Hey!' She chuckled. 'Where are you going?'

'Rebekah asked me to go shopping today, and I said yes. I could use the clothes!' Cara yelled back from the bathroom where she changed and brushed her teeth.

Kol groaned. He could've seen this coming the moment Rebekah went upstairs. By the end of the day, Rebekah would know. Or Cara would be hurt, in whatever way.

He sped out of the room, into Rebekah's.

'Never heard of knocking?' Rebekah said annoyed.

'You're taking Cara shopping today,' he stated. 'You want to know all the details, don't you?'

Rebekah smiled mischievously. 'Yep. And you're not going to stop me.'

'I know,' Kol said, 'but I need you to promise me you'll be nice. If you don't like her, fine, but just be polite then. Just… Just don't hurt her,' he finished.

Rebekah's face softened. She shouldn't be so hard on him. She knew what love felt like, and always got made fun of. She knew that Kol would never do that again.

'Don't worry, Kol. I like her already for the fact that she makes you extremely happy. Now go back there, before she notices how overprotective you are.' Rebekah winked and ushered him out.

Kol sped back and laid himself back onto the bed just in time.

Cara walked out of the bathroom, throwing her PJ's in Kol's face, and sat on the bed to put on her shoes.

'Why are you wearing two different kind of shoes?' Kol asked confused. Some things of this century were just mysteries to him, but he hadn't even seen this before.

Cara looked down and chuckled. 'Guess it is a bit weird, but ah well. My favorite color combination is black and pick. So I decided to put pink laces into my black All-Stars. When I had to replace my shoes, I thought, why not buy black ones, AND pink ones? I couldn't think of a proper reason, and I bought two pairs of shoes. Then I bought black laces, and put them in the pink ones.' She wiggled her feet in front of her. 'And now I wear one black shoe, with pink laces, and one pink one, with black laces.'

'So.. There is no real reason besides that you like the colors?' Kol's eyebrows furrowed, trying to understand why anyone would want to wear two different shoes at once.

Cara pretended to think about this for a moment. 'Nope, no reason!' She flashed a huge grin. 'Anything that's unaccepted by the masses, is usually fine by me. I have always wanted to dye my hair pink, or at least the ends, but I never dared to do so. Opinions of other's and all… But maybe I'll have it done today!' She nodded, making up her mind. 'That sounds like a plan.'

She looked at Kol's face, and burst into laughter at seeing his tortured face.

'W_hy _would you make your hair, _pink_?'

'Because it's different,' Cara simply said. 'And if you don't like, well, then suck it up.'

Kol smiled at that. She was right not to care about what he thought of it.

'Well, if I can't talk you out of it, then at least have fun today with Rebekah.' He kissed her softly, showing her how much he loved her, and was glad to hear her heartbeat speeding up immediately.

She smiled and got up. 'Thanks, Kol.' She gave him a peck on his cheek and walked out of the room, to almost bump into Rebekah, who looked flawless.

'You ready?' Rebekah smiled at her. Cara nodded, and Rebekah hooked their arms together.


	33. Sister Bonding

**Oh dear God, it's been over a week! I am so sorry guys, but it's been so hectic! Broke up with my boyfriend (the John guy, if you were wondering), was constantly working, and crying over Nate pics and vids, and I was not feeling like writing, so I am very sorry! This shouldn't happen again!**

**This chapter was hell for me to write, since I hate shopping, hahahaha. Hope you like it anyway!  
Oh, and just one review :(? Ah well. Still one :D.**

**Look at me, all being positive, hahaha.**

* * *

**Sister Bonding**

Rebekah was still shaking her head when Cara happily bounced around, happy with her new color of hair.

'It's so bright!' Cara kept beaming. It had turned out a little more than expected, but she loved it immediately. This was her. And well, it did match perfect with her shoes. Even Rebekah said so. Cara decided that she liked Rebekah. Rebekah was stunned at her choice of color, but was psyched anyway! No judgment.

Rebekah smiled widely. She liked Cara. She had spirit. And Cara just told her that she didn't want to care about other's opinions anymore, even though it would be hard. Rebekah encouraged her, like with the hair, and she saw the world being lifted from Cara's shoulders.

Rebekah checked the time. 'Well, that took a bit longer than planned, but it was definitely worth it, it looks amazing! Before we go shopping for some matching clothes, we should get something to eat, don't you think?'

Cara nodded. 'I am kind of hungry, and all of that waiting made me edgy. I need some sugar.'

They walked over to some burger joint, and ordered burgers and milkshakes. When they sat down and Cara bit into her burger, moaning at the taste of it, Rebekah raised an eyebrow.

'Thought Elijah said you despised lettuce?'

Cara looked at her burger and narrowed her eyes. There was lettuce on her burger. She tore off a bit and put it in her mouth.

'YUK!' Cara spit it out immediately. 'That is just gross! Guess the sauce makes it better.' Rebekah laughed and shook her head.

'So…' Rebekah leaned in closer, her eyes twinkling. 'You and Kol, huh? What did you do to make him act like a lovesick kid?'

Cara blushed. 'I don't know,' she shrugged. 'I still barely believe it myself. It hasn't been easy, though..' Her voice trailed off, and Rebekah gave her a reassuring smile.

'So I've heard, but don't worry, sweetie, it'll work out.' Rebekah took a sip of her milk shake. 'Anyways, the things I heard this morning, sure sounded like things were going well?' Rebekah wiggled her eyebrows.

Cara blushed even harder. Of course Rebekah had heard them. She was in the next room for crying out loud. She wasn't backing down now. She needed some girl time. Vaguely she felt guilty for not telling Caroline yet, and she made a mental note to call Caroline as soon as she could.

'Yeah, things are… going well,' Cara smirked. 'Why, did we wake you?'

Rebekah laughed, and quickly covered her mouth when people were staring at her.

'Well, I was trying to get back to sleep, when the actual lack of noise kept me up,' Rebekah grinned. 'What was that about?'

'What was what about?' Cara asked innocently. She wanted to gossip, but talking about sex in detail with your boyfriend's sister might be a little over the line.

'Usually Kol has the upper hand in… everything, really,' Rebekah snickered. 'But especially in the bedroom. This morning he was quiet, while I heard you. What was happening?' Rebekah looked into Cara's eyes. 'You may try to hide it from me, but I will keep prying and annoying you if you don't.' Rebekah gave a nonchalance shrug as if to say that was the most normal thing in the world.

Cara sighed and shoved her empty tray aside, leaning on her hands while sipping from her milk shake occasionally. She started to tell everything to Rebekah, smiling at the memory, about how she made Kol suffer until he really couldn't hold himself anymore.

Rebekah's smile was so bright, it almost hurt Cara's eyes. She beamed right back.

'That's so unlike Kol! He let you do that for THAT long?' Rebekah's eyes were all round with disbelief. 'He must have been dying inside,' she snickered. 'But then again, it must've been really good if he could hold himself back.'

She shifted herself and cocked her head to the side, grinning mischievously. 'And then…?'

Cara coughed, trying hard to swallow her drink. 'No way I am telling you that! You're his sister, I am not going there. You got what you wanted, you know what happened afterwards.'

Rebekah was slightly disappointed, but knew Cara had a point.

'How about we go buy some stunning lingerie to surprise Kol? See how long you can keep his hand of off you,' Rebekah chuckled.

Cara rolled her eyes. 'He'll keep his hands of off me as long as I want him to,' she said confident, before throwing her empty cup in the trash can.

They got up and walked to the nearest store. Cara looked up at the sign. She did not recognize the label, but Rebekah obviously knew what she was doing.

'You want something that goes with your hair, obviously,' Rebekah said matter-of-factly as she was flipping through the racks.

Cara seriously didn't feel comfortable, so she put in her earphones, listening to one of her favorite songs. She hadn't heard this song in ages, and she couldn't help but move to it.

Rebekah noticed Cara was dancing through the store, casually looking at things as she went, and she heard the music blasting from those earphones. That couldn't be healthy, but Cara definitely seemed to enjoy herself, so Rebekah just smiled and waved some lingerie in the air for Cara to see.

Cara wiggled her way over to Rebekah and took the amazing black and pink pairs out of her hands and went to the dressing room, slightly head banging.

She tried all of them on, grateful for Rebekah not being there, and loved them. They actually made her feel sexy. There was this once perfect corset and stockings thingy, that she adored. She couldn't wait to wear that at some party, underneath her dress, already reveling in the anticipation of Kol's response.

She got out and walked over to Rebekah. Before she could say something, Rebekah interrupted her by flashing a fancy credit card. 'Money's not the issue, sweetie,' she smiled. 'So, you want them all?' Rebekah grinned at Cara's stunned face as she handed the stuff over.

When they walked out, bag in hand, Rebekah started chatting about school, about the crew, totally oblivious to the fact that Cara already knew most of it. Cara, however, decided to just go along and give her opinion once in a while. She found she was enjoying this.

They went from store to store, buying gorgeous dresses for Rebekah, and a perfect one for Cara. It was the dress she would wear at that party. It could be a while before there would be a party, but still. They also found Cara a new collection of clothes. They had to go a little out of way for that, since Cara's style wasn't really common.

Giggling and loaded with bags they stumbled back into the mansion. They were greeted by a smiling Elijah who nodded at them and left.

Rebekah led Cara into the kitchen, dropping her bags on the counter. She gestured Cara should sit down, and went to the fridge to get them some drinks.

'Well, hello, ladies,' Kol said, smoothly walking into the kitchen, smirking at Cara. His eyes glanced over the bags.

'Got everything you need?' He asked Cara while moving over to check the bags. He saw a lingerie bag, and he wanted to know what was in it.

Cara grabbed the bags and got them out of his reach. 'Yes, I did. And no, you don't get to see. I know what you're going for.' She rolled his eyes at him. She turned around to pick up everything and spun around quickly when she heard Kol gasp.

'Is everything okay?' she asked worried, looking into his eyes.

Still staring at her like a crazy person, he reached out and grabbed a few strands of her hair, turning it around like it was something from outer space.

Kol could still not understand why she would want something like that, and now that she did it, he understood it even less. What was wrong with this world? Why would Cara want to mess up her gorgeous hair with something so… pink?

Cara could see Kol's nose wriggle with disgust. 'Don't like it?'

Kol snapped out of his trance when he heard her cold voice.

'No, it's not that… It's just… I guess I am still a bit old fashioned, when it comes to those things. Like with you shoes!' Hopelessly he tried to talk himself out of this. It suited her, sure, it represented her, and it made her feel better, he saw that in an instant. He just had to get used to it.

'It suits you perfectly, darling, I just have to get used to it,' he tried to smile at her warmly, but looking over at Rebekah told him it just made him look creepy.

Cara rolled her eyes. 'Whatever. I like it, I had fun. So, what did you do today?' Cara changed the subject quickly, not wanting to make Kol feel even more uncomfortable than he already did.

Her plan backfired. Kol seemed to shift nervously.

'Jeez, Kol!' Cara exclaimed. 'You're a vampire. Remember, I know? If you went feeding, just say so, it's no big deal!'

Rebekah chuckled and Kol just seemed to want to disappear into the walls.

'Yeah whatever.. Shall I bring those up for you?' Kol gestured to her bags, focusing on that lingerie bag once again.

Cara smiled at him. 'That would be lovely, thank you! But I will carry this one,' she smirked, as she picked up the lingerie one.

Kol grumbled softly, and Cara and Rebekah just laughed.

'I'll order in some Chinese food,' Rebekah said, getting up. 'Going to see if Nik and Elijah want some.' She hugged Cara and left the kitchen.


	34. Incoming Message

**Ugh, again it took me longer than planned, I am sorry! Thanks for the reviews though, I loved them! And thanks for you all being so supportive about the break up, but don't worry, we're good :). I felt like Monica in Friends. Everyone around me was broken except for me, haha.**

_**But, a little notion. Me and my friend are raising money for End It Movement, so we can give Nate a check at the con in Budapest and to stop slavery! Now, obviously, for that we need all the help we can get, so I would like to ask you if you could maybe help us out? Even 1$/1€ is appreciated! Just PM me, or look me up on Facebook: Carmen Vos. My profile pic is the same as here. Or just go to Facebook and after the slash enter: EndItMovementFundraise. Thank you very much!**_

**Now about to chapter, I wanted to write you a longer one, as a make up for the not updating, but it just didn't work for me, so I am sorry. I guess the next one should be longer, with a lot of dialogue. You'll know what I mean after you read this one ;)**

**Enjoy and review, and I'll see you next time!**

* * *

**Incoming Message**

Cara left as well, walking up the stairs with Kol shortly behind her, carrying all of her other bags. She grinned widely, she could get used to this.

When they entered the room, Kol just threw the bags onto the bed and cornered her. Cara quickly stuffed the bag behind her back, and looked up innocently.

'What's wrong, pretty boy?' Cara said while batting her eyelashes. She could feel the curiosity coming off from him and she was liking it.

'Why can't I see what's in that bag?' Kol pouted. He could obviously just snatch it from her, she wouldn't stand a chance, but it felt wrong.

'Because it's just some underwear. Some granny white things, you know?' Cara looked around, looking embarrassed. Kol didn't believe it for a second.

'Lying, now, are we?' Kol smirked before snatching the bag anyway.

'KOL!' Cara gasped, glaring at him.

Triumphantly he skipped towards the other side of the room. He heard Cara laughing, apparently him skipping was hilarious. While he was out of her reach by far, he peeked into the bag.

Cara was holding back her laughter so hard, that her face probably was looking like a tomato right now, but when she saw Kol's stunned face when he looked up, she couldn't stand it anymore. She burst out laughing.

With a blank face he pulled one of the panties out. 'You weren't kidding,' he said stunned, twisting it between his fingers.

Cara started laughing even harder, seeing the horrible panties in his hand, his face stunned with disbelief. And probably disappointment. Little did he know.

'I didn't even know they still sold these,' Kol said while putting it carefully in the bag again. 'These are like ancient!'

Cara caught her breath and shrugged. 'They're hidden. You have to look for them. But they're still there, as you can see.' Cara smirked and Kol tossed the bag to the others, before grabbing them all.

'I'll go put your stuff away,' he mumbled and walked to their closet.

Cara grinned and quickly pulled out her phone.

**He totally bought it! Thanks for holding on to it for me! X**

Cara didn't need a response, she heard Rebekah laughing from downstairs. Guess that message was delivered.

She was starting to send a message to Caroline, when she heard a familiar noise coming from across the room. She quickly finished the message and hit send, before she walked over the dresser where her old phone was.

With her heart beating rapidly she picked it up, and unlocked the screen. Her breath hitched in her throat as her brain registered what she was seeing.

**Hoezo, je wilt praten? Maak het alsjeblieft niet uit.. x John**

She had no problem reading the Dutch words, she was just shocked to see them. How was this possible? What did he mean? She wanted to talk to him? And he didn't want her to break up with her?

As realization slowly dawned on Cara, she saw she had replied. Not her her, obviously, but a message from her name just came up.

**Laten we nou maar eerst praten, dan zien we wel verder**

Talk, and we'll see. Still stunned Cara stared at her phone.

**I'm gonna kill that Nate guy. See you tomorrow**

Cara just shook her head. 'Oh, my, God…' she whispered as she dropped her phone.

* * *

Kol still couldn't believe he made such a fool out of himself, and annoyed he started putting her clothes in the closet. He saw a gorgeous dress and couldn't wait to see what it would look like on her.

Finally, when he had calmed down, he walked back into the room, his body filling with worry as he saw Cara staring at her phone like she'd just seen a ghost.

Before he could even go to her, she whispered something and dropped the phone. She didn't seem to care, she just kept on staring at her now empty hands.

Without a word Kol flashed to her side, and picked up the phone. He saw the messages, but he couldn't make sense of it. It was a foreign language. He could see thought that it was that bastard boyfriend of hers back home, and that he was pissed at that Nate guy.

Nate. Where had he heard that name before? Oh right! It was that actor that played him on that show. He scoffed on the inside. But then he realized what was happening.

'You're breaking up with him,' he slowly stated. Cara nodded.

'Because of that Nate guy, just like you predicted you would.' Cara nodded again.

'Only, you're not doing this? This phone isn't supposed to work.' Cara nodded again, like a bobble-head.

'So… You are still back home?'

Cara shrugged. 'I guess.'

Kol took Cara by the shoulders. 'This is huge! You're other version is breaking up with that idiot, your pets are being taken care off, and no one is worried about where you are!'

When Cara finally looked up to meet his eyes, he expected happiness, but instead he saw tears dropping. Did he say something wrong?

'Cara, darling, what's wrong?' He wiped her tears away and gave her a soft kiss on her forehead.

'I'm not gone there… I am there, and here at the same time… Does this mean I am stuck here, Kol?'

Kol was crushed with the look in her eyes. He could easily see that she didn't know what to think of this, but that right now, it was horrible to her to think that she couldn't go back home.

'I don't know, darling, I don't know.' He picked up the phone and shut it off. 'You want to come down for dinner, or should I bring you something?'

Cara shook her head. 'I'm not hungry, but save me some just in case?' Kol smiled at her, kissed the top of her head and left her alone. She needed to think and he would let her do just that. He couldn't help her right now, even though he wanted to.

Halfway down the stairs, he knew what she needed. He did not like this, but it had to be done. Quickly he went down, called out to Rebekah that he'd soon be there, and walked out into the garden.

Opening his phone he scrolled to 'Jackass' and took a deep breath before dialing.

'_Kol?_' the well-known snarky voice spat through the phone.

Kol took a deep breath. He was doing this for Cara. He couldn't lose his temper right now. _The brat_.

'Damon,' Kol said coolly.  
'_What do you want? Kill Cara already?_' Damon's voice was venomous, but curious.  
'I heard you still haven't called Cara?' Kol said, ignoring Damon. It stayed quiet on the other side.  
'I don't care why you haven't, but she needs you right now. And frankly, I don't give a damn if I have to drag you out here myself, or if you're even ready to face her to start with, but you're going to get your ass over here ASAP!'

Once again it stayed quiet, but before Kol could respond, Damon had hung up. Kol was raging with anger. How dared the little brat hang up on him!? After he specifically told him Cara needed him? Like he liked making calls to Damon. Kol scoffed. He'd wait until after dinner before going over there.

* * *

Damon hung up the phone and stared at the fire place.

'Everything okay?' Stefan asked when walking into the room. 'Who called?'

'Kol,' Damon said in a clipped tone. Stefan's eyebrows rose in surprise.

'Why would Kol call you?' He took a step closer. 'Did something happen to Cara?'

Damon shook his head. 'I don't know. All Kol said before I hung up was that Cara needed me. He didn't care if he had to drag me there myself.' Damon scoffed.

'So… Are you going?' Stefan asked hesitantly. He saw the look of doubt clearly written on his brother's face.

'I don't know. She said I should call when I finally realized Kol wouldn't hurt her, and I am sort of convinced that he won't. I mean, the guy is calling me for her! It's just… I don't know if I can face her.'  
His face formed to disgust as he thought about him being here all selfish. If Cara needed him, then he needed to be there, period.

'You know she called me this morning?' Stefan asked. Damon looked up in surprise. 'She wanted to know how you were doing. She was worried.'

Damon shook his head. That was it. He was going over there.

Stefan smiled as he saw Damon storming out of the house.


	35. Took a Hit

**yay! Fast update! I couldn't wait to write this chapter, but I was also scared I would screw it up. In the end, I am pretty happy with it, and I hope you all like it as well! As I promised, this one is longer. Like, a lot longer than usual. I hope you like that too!**

**I like reviews anyway, but I would really like your thoughts on this one. Even though I loved writing it, it was also hard to get the emotions right. Kol might be a bit (more) out of character (than usual), but none of us know what he would be like when in love, and right now, he is pretty messed up about what happened. **

**So, hope you enjoy it, and can't wait to read your reviews!**

* * *

**Took a Hit**

Kol went back inside, just to see Rebekah taking the food from the delivery guy. She paid. Kol rolled his eyes and went into the living room where his brothers were already seated.

'Could you go get Cara?' Rebekah asked Kol while carefully putting the bag on the table. She raised her eyebrows when Kol shifted uncomfortably.

'She won't eat with us tonight,' he said a little more harshly than intended, and started helping Elijah to get the food out.

'Why not, if you don't mind me asking?' Elijah asked as he put the plastic bag away and looked Kol in the eyes. He saw the kid was freaking out, and he wanted to calm him down.

Klaus and Rebekah stayed quiet. They both were just as eager and concerned as Elijah, but they both knew Elijah would be the only one to get the information out.

Kol wasn't sure how all of these feelings were able to be inside of him at the same time, but he knew he couldn't handle them very well. He started to freak out. Elijah's voice snapped him out of it, and as soon as he looked his big brother in the eyes, he felt all of the stress dropping from him. He took a breath, and decided his family should know. Especially if Damon were to come by.

'It turns out…' he started, while looking at the ground. 'It turns out my theory was right.' He looked up at Elijah, completely ignoring Klaus' gasp and Rebekah's raised eyebrows.

'What theory?' Rebekah asked impatiently.

'If I'm understanding this correctly,' Klaus began, while looking from one sibling to the other, 'Cara is still there in her other life?' He shushed Rebekah with a wave of his hand. His sister's rambling wouldn't help them.

Kol just nodded, and picked pointlessly at his food.

'Are you sure?' Elijah asked, shocked, but calm as ever. He took a bite, and encouraged the rest to do the same. They should make this as comfortable as possible for Kol.

'Yes, I am sure. She got a text on her old phone when we went up. You know, the one that isn't supposed to work here?'

Elijah nodded, and waited patiently for Kol to go on.

'It was from that bastard boyfriend of hers,' Kol spat, 'something about him not wanting to break up with her. Guess Cara over there also has some sense,' he muttered.

'Kol…' Elijah warned.

'Sorry, sorry…' Kol took a bite of his food, took another breath and continued. 'That was all strange enough on its own, but then Cara replied. Not our Cara, but Cara from there. And then John responded again.'

Kol put down his food, he lost his appetite. He understood why Cara didn't want to eat.

'So I'm pretty sure her life is going on as normal, while she is here,' Kol finished.

'How is she taking it?' Elijah asked calmly, shutting Klaus up with a single gesture.

'She… She's pretty shaken up. I might have screwed that bit up,' Kol said while fidgeting with his fingers.

'What did you do?' Klaus snarled at his little brother but regretted it immediately as he saw Kol's broken face when he looked up again.

'I wasn't thinking.. I was only seeing the positive side of it all. She worries so much about her parents, and pets, and now she knows they are all well, so I figured she'd be happy about that.' Kol angrily wiped an almost falling tear out of his eye. 'I just forgot the part where this could very easily mean she's stuck here, and how that might not be as great news for her as it is for me…'

'I see.. And she's still upstairs?' Elijah asked, while putting his own food down.

Kol nodded. 'She wasn't hungry anymore, and I know the feeling.' He gave a bitter laugh. 'She asked to save her some, just in case for later. I left her in her room to think. I wasn't who she needed at the moment.'

Rebekah noticed the bitterness in his voice, and the misery that he wasn't that person.

'What do you mean, you're not who she needs right now? If not you, then who?'

Kol picked up on footsteps coming to the door and chuckled darkly.

'He just arrived,' he sneered, loathing dropping from every word.

'You can come in, Damon,' he yelled at the door before getting up.

'You called Damon?' Klaus stared at Kol in disbelief. 'Why would you do that?'

'I'm still trying to figure out that bit myself,' Damon said while walking in. 'Why did you call me, _Kol_,' Damon sneered.

'Damon, just hear him out. Even though Rebekah and Klaus are oblivious to why he called you, I understand perfectly, and I think Kol did the right thing,' Elijah said, while getting up, to stand next to Kol, ready to step in.

Damon just rolled his eyes and watched Kol. To his surprise he saw that the little Original was on the verge of losing it. His face was just pure desperation. Damon got immediately worried.

'You were the first one she met when she got here. You were the first one to know where she came from, and you still took her in.' Kol paused for a bit, knowing how much tension this would bring.

'Of course I did! She just realized she wasn't dreaming, and was freaking out!'

Elijah shot Damon a warning look, while Kol flinched.

'Why is that important?' Damon asked, this time trying to sound neutral.

'You were the one she told everything to. You knew how much it scared her to be here. You calmed her down. I know that probably took you to say she'd find her way back, but still… You managed to get her to relax, to be herself here, to stop being scared.'

Kol took a deep breath, and looked up into Damon's poisonous eyes.

'I need you to do that again, because I can't. I can't make her calm down, tell her everything is going to be okay, because I don't know how she was when she just got here. I don't know what fear is coming back to her right now, and you do,' Kol pleaded, hating himself for pleading to Damon of all people.

'Why would I need to calm her down? What does this reminiscing have to do with anything?' Damon asked confused.

'Cara just found out that she is still living back home like nothing ever happened. She is terrified she is stuck here right now,' Elijah answered for Damon. 'Kol feels awful for her, I mean, it's obvious,' he gestured to his brother. Kol scoffed at that.

'But Kol only sees the fact that he won't have to lose her,' Damon finished for Elijah.

Elijah just nodded, and Damon almost felt sorry for Kol. He knew how it felt to be scared of losing someone. But still, this was Kol. He couldn't feel sorry for him.

Damon did however appreciate the courage it must have cost Kol to call him, especially since he did that on his own. Or because Cara asked him to. That must be it. He might not like Kol, but it was obvious he cared for Cara.

Damon took a deep breath and nodded. 'Fine. I'll talk to her. I can't promise anything, but I can at least try. Thank you for calling me.'

Kol nodded and walked back into the living room, once more picking at his now mostly cold food.

'Is she upstairs?' Damon asked Elijah, who was looking at his brother with a hurt look on his face. Damon wasn't used to seeing calm Elijah care for something, or someone, so this was a nice change. Even if it was for Kol.

Elijah snapped his head back, face guarded once more, and nodded.

'I'm sure you'll find her.' Elijah turned around and went to sit next to Kol, trying to calm him down.

Klaus and Rebekah nodded at him, with encouraging smiles. They were trusting him. Ugh. Guess Cara found a new family. Jealousy raged through Damon, but he shut it up. This wasn't the time to drown in self-pity. Cara needed him, and this was the time to prove he could be her friend.

* * *

Cara sat on her bed, staring at the window, trying to process all of this. She was grateful Kol left her alone. She knew he didn't like it, and as much as she would love his presence, it wouldn't make her feel better.

She understood why Kol was happy with this news, and she knew that she should be as well. He was right, after all. Her bunnies were taken care of, and no one in her family was worried about her. But that was also the bit that hurt the most. They had no idea she was here, in this world, as well. In her mind, she had lost her family to some shell of her.

The idea of never going back, because she became more and more sure of that she was never going to be able to go back, hurt her. They might not miss her, but she still missed her family and pets. Tears streamed down her face, into her hands, as a soft knock on the door let her know someone was there.

'Come in,' she said softly, perfectly knowing they could hear her.

She didn't even look up to see who it was. Kol had probably told everyone what had happened, so really it could be anyone. It wasn't until the person stopped moving after closing the door Cara noticed something wasn't right. Any of the Mikaelson's would've walked over to the bed, and seated themselves next to her.

She turned around and saw Damon leaning against the door, obviously feeling awkward.

'Damon?' she whispered. 'Is that really you?'

Damon's heart sank the moment she turned around. She was still the beautiful girl he knew, but he could also see she was broken into little pieces right now. What had Kol gotten him into? There was no way he could fix a human so broken!

He managed a wavering smile. 'Hey Cara,' he said as warm as he could.

Before Damon managed to register what was happening, Cara ran over to him, hugging him tightly, while sobbing hard.

Awkwardly at first, but more relaxed after a few minutes, Damon stroked her back, trying to calm her down. When finally she looked up, she took a step back.

'I'm sorry… Not the best move right now, to just hug you like that.. I just missed you so bad…'

Damon smiled reassuringly. 'It's okay. Now, why don't we sit down, and you tell me what's wrong?'

While Cara turned around Damon laughed. He hadn't noticed before, and it took him completely by surprise.

Cara turned around and raised an eyebrow. 'What's so funny?'

Damon walked up to her, and touched her hair. 'It's pink. You dyed it pink. It's brilliant! It's so different, it's so.. you!' He chuckled once more and sat her on the bed.

Cara smiled back at him. 'Your response is much better than Kol's. He was all like, "what have you done!?" Guess that's what happens when you miss the punk scene because your brother stuffed you in a coffin.' Cara shrugged, and Damon was glad to see the old Cara was still in there, and was ready to come out.

'But, even though I love the new style,' Damon grinned while sitting next to her on the bed. 'That's not why I came.'

Cara nodded. 'Why are you here? I mean, how did you know what was going on? Or was this a total coincidence?'

'Kol called me,' Damon said confused. He was surprised, to say the least, to see a stunned look on Cara's face. 'You didn't ask him to call me?'

Cara shook her head. 'No, I didn't… Wow. He like, actually called you?' A loving smile spread across her face as she imagined how hard that must have been for him. But he did it for her, and that was… She guessed he really loved her.

'Yeah. I was just as surprised as you were. Only I didn't get a lovesick grin on my face,' Damon said casually, while winking. The smile hurt him, but it also was enough proof to him that Kol was best for her. Even if he would never admit that out loud.

'He even said he would drag me down here if I wouldn't come myself.' Damon enjoyed her giggles.

'But, he called with a reason. Apparently you found out you are probably stuck here?' Damon cut right to the chase. Talking around it wouldn't do any of them good.

Cara nodded. 'I should be happy, you know? My pets are taken care off, by me, so that's perfect. No one is worried about me, I could stay here and have a great life with all of you as my new family, and I know Kol is happy he won't lose me, but…' Cara threw her hands up in the air. 'I don't know… I guess it's just a shock it's not a choice of going back anymore…'

Damon nodded. 'I get it, you're conflicted. You were happier here than you probably ever were back home. I don't know the story, and I don't need to know if you don't want me to, but it was obvious you weren't happy back home. But it still was your home, and to get that taken away from you, that hurts.'

Cara smiled through her tears. 'That's exactly what I'm feeling. A part of me is relieved I can stay here. If I were to go back home, I would miss all of you forever. The TV-show would never be the same again, and if someone were to die, it would kill me with grief, since I know all of you in person. I wouldn't be able to stop wondering if it actually happened or not… You've all become to matter so much to me in such a short notice.'

Cara put a hand on Damon's arm. 'I found a new best friend, a new boyfriend that accepts me for who I am, even though I go around dying my hair pink! And with him I get a new family, who I couldn't stand losing! And Caroline.. I wouldn't even know what to do back home without a friend like her!'

With a jolt she realized she must have had a message back from Caroline. Just thinking about how happy she was when sending that text, made it seem like ages ago.

She smiled when seeing Caroline's bubbly text, saying that they really needed to talk. She texted back quickly that they could meet for lunch tomorrow. The okay came instantly and she put her phone away again.

'I'm sorry about that,' Cara apologized, but Damon waved it away.

'But staying here… Even with all of the positive things, it would mean I would never see my parents again, my pets… I don't know how long it will take for me to get over that, Damon…'

Damon saw the tears well up again. 'Don't cry, Cara. Like you say yourself, staying here has its perks. If I listen closely, I can even hear more positive things than negative ones.' Damon smiled at her warmly.

'Just know, that I will be here for you always. I will even try to act nice around Kol, since he clearly cares for you. Know, that you'll never be alone here,' Damon said, while staring into her eyes.

Cara smiled through her tears, and wiped them away. 'Thanks, Damon…'

She looked around and took a deep breath. 'I guess it's time I am going to call this home.'

Damon smiled at her, took her hand, and said: 'I guess it is. Welcome home, Cara.'


	36. Begin Again

**I feel so bad! I just forgot to write! I am so sorry!**

**This chapter is a week after the next one, in time, if that wasn't clear from the chapter itself :)**

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Begin Again**

Cara woke up, only to find Kol gone. Her eyebrows furrowed. That was the third time this week! She rolled back and stared at the ceiling. Last week had been… strange. In a good way. Everyone had treated her like family, and they were there for her.

In the beginning, Elena had given her a look of sadness, but she shut that up right away. Sadness and pity wouldn't do her any good.

She also remembered Caroline's response to her hair. Cara chuckled at the memory. Caroline must have been screaming for 5 minutes while jumping up and down.

She sat up and looked around her room. Even though Kol slept here every night, it technically still was her room. She felt at home. That feeling had come quickly. She thought it was because she basically already felt like this was her home. The realization just took a bit longer to kick in.

She smiled softly, as she ran her fingers over her blanket, before sighing. She had felt like she could finally be happy, here, with Kol, and everyone else. She had thought Kol would be happy too, but he was the only one acting strange for the past week. Cara was worried. For the third night in a row she woke up to half an empty bed, with sheets barely used.

She got up and got dressed, staring at all of the clothes in her closet. A sudden feeling of despair washed over her.

What if Kol didn't want her anymore? What if he indeed got bored?

She got pulled out of her thoughts by Damon.

'A penny for your thoughts, Cara,' Damon smiled warmly at her.

'Or a dollar for your insides,' Cara immediately replied.

Damon's smile grew wider. 'Or a fortune for your disaster, sweetie.'

Cara's mouth fell open. 'Oh. My. God. You actually searched for that song?'

Damon nodded casually. 'I couldn't let you be in on something without me knowing what it was, now could I?'

Cara shook her head laughing. This was so Damon.

'But, where did the sad look come from? I thought you were all happy and giddy?'

Cara rolled her eyes, then sighed. She might as well tell Damon.

'Kol hasn't been sleeping here for 3 nights now… I have barely seen him all week, and when I do, he's all flustered and awkward. I think he's avoiding me.' Cara's shoulders slumped and a single tear fell out of her eye.

Damon grabbed her, and forced her to look at him.

'He is not avoiding you, Cara. The kid is head over heels for you!'

'Then why has he been acting so weird?' Cara asked confused.

Damon looked around uncomfortable. He tried to recompose himself fast by saying quickly: 'I think he is just trying to adjust to you officially staying here.'

Cara raised an eyebrow, and just stared at him.

'Really? That's the best lie you can come up with?' She shook her head in disbelief.

Damon looked at her with pleading eyes.

'Please, don't be mad! I might not like him one bit, but if he threatens me…' Damon shrugged. 'I know Kol well enough to act on his threats, so no way I am going to go against him.'

'Seriously? He threatened you? The son of a bitch,' Cara muttered.

In her head her thoughts were racing. What was so important, awful, horrifying, that Kol had to threat Damon out of telling her? She totally zoned out Damon's voice. If Kol wanted to keep this thing a secret so bad, it must be bad. Anger was rising up. She was not going through this again. She was hurt, that Kol could so easily turn on her, but her anger was more powerful.

She walked out of her room, shoving Damon to the side.

'Cara, what the?' Damon yelled after her as she ran down the stairs.

Like a tornado she opened the doors to the living room, where she saw Rebekah, Klaus, Elijah and Caroline. Their conversation stopped mid-sentence and they all looked guiltily at her.

This was what confirmed her suspicions. What was enraging her, was that they all knew! They all knew, and no one told her!

This was even worse than the time someone broke up with her over a text message.

'Cara,' Klaus said soothing. But before he could continue she turned around and ran back upstairs. She went into a storage room she walked in by accident a few days ago, and pulled out a suitcase. She dragged it to her room, and started stuffing her clothes and other things in. She left the dress. She bought so she could wear it for Kol. No need for that anymore.

When she closed the suitcase, she let out a long sigh. She turned around to pick up her shoes, when she saw Elijah standing in her doorway.

'Cara, what are you doing?' Elijah asked calmly, eyeing her suitcase.

Cara ignored him and grabbed her shoes, sitting down on the bed, so she could put them on.

'Cara?' Elijah asked once again.

'You're a vampire, right?' Cara asked.

Elijah nodded, surprised by the venom in her voice.

'Then that means you have perfect sight, which means you can see perfectly what I am doing.' She struggled with the laces, her hands shaking with anger.

'Why are you packing? Are you going somewhere?' Elijah asked, getting more confused by the moment. 'Did we do something wrong?'

Cara gave a bitter laugh. 'You are all acting like you're walking on a minefield around me, and Kol has gone MIA on me. I thought you were all over me being the sad girl who can't go home, but apparently you haven't.'

She stood up and grabbed the suitcase, pulling it to the ground.

'We don't think you're the sad girl anymore, Cara,' Elijah said softly, fearing where this was going. This couldn't go this wrong, now could it?

'Then you must be hiding something from me,' Cara said matter-of-factly. 'Kol threatening Damon not to tell me something, the rest of you shutting up whenever I walk in… If Kol is that over me, and you won't trust me with it, then fine. But then I am not staying here.'

She started to walk to the door, but Elijah didn't budge.

'Why would you think Kol is over you?' Elijah asked hesitantly.

Cara laughed. Not an amused one.

'See, you can't even ask that normally! I know he's over me. He hasn't slept in my bed for days, he is nowhere to be found all the time, and when I do walk in to him, he finds an excuse to leave again.'

She looked into Elijah's eyes.

'That's not really the relationship I want to be in.'

Elijah was taken aback by the anger that was shown clearly in her eyes.

Cara used that moment to walk past him and to drag her suitcase downstairs.

When she came into the hallway she could see everyone watching her closely, but not saying anything.

If she needed any more confirmation, this was it.

She blinked back her tears and walked out. There must be some sort of motel around here.

* * *

The moment Cara had shut the door, Klaus had grabbed his phone and walked out into the garden.

They could all hear him pacing, and him muttering angrily at the phone.

'Kol!'

'What do you think you are doing, you idiot?'

'I told you this would happen!'

'She just left, Kol! She packed a suitcase, and just left!'

'And then what? You're gonna spill?'

Just calm down, we'll figure something out. Just be careful in the meantime. She's been hurt enough, and I do NOT like this.'

Klaus walked back into the mansion, and found every one of them still sitting where he had left them. Except for Damon, who had gotten comfortable on the couch, during the drama.

'Why didn't you stop her?' Klaus yelled at him.

'She was already mad at me. Me trying to stop her would only make her leave faster. You really think I enjoyed that? If her scumbag of a boyfriend hadn't threatened me I would have spilled everything to her already! I told you she'd see right through this!'

'Guys…' Caroline spoke up softly. She still felt uncomfortable here. 'So what do we do now? She won't want to talk to any of us, now that she knows we have all been lying to her…'

'I have an idea,' Rebekah spoke up. 'Elijah, did she pack everything?'

'I can't say for sure she took everything, but she took a whole lot.'

Rebekah sped up and came back down a few minutes later with a package in her hands.

'Have this delivered to wherever Cara is. I'm sure one of your minions can find her without being recognized.'

She handed over the box.

'Don't peek, or I'll kill you,' Rebekah threatened.

'Anything else, miss?' Klaus sneered.

'Yes, there is. Tell Kol NOT to go after her, or everything will be ruined.'

Klaus eyed her suspiciously, but gave Kol another quick call.


	37. Let's Play A Game

**It's so much fun to read your reviews! They make me want to write so much faster! -And they keep me from forgetting to xD-**

**I think I originally planned to reveal the secret this chapter, but it would've been way too long. Hahaha, so you'll be in the dark a little bit longer. But I love the guessing! Is Kol really going to ask Cara to marry him...? Just you wait and see! **

**Enjoy, and let me know what you think!**

* * *

**Let's Play A Game**

Rebekah looked at Caroline, and Caroline nodded her head fiercely. This turn of events wasn't going to ruin everything. They wouldn't let it.

They both looked at Elijah, Klaus and Damon with raised eyebrows, and the guys quickly got back to what they were doing before all of this.

* * *

Cara sat on the bed in the room and hated it. It was hard. She liked the soft beds you would sink in to. She laid herself down, and tried to gather her thoughts. Unfortunately a knock on her door kept her from it.

She sighed and got up. She opened the door and stared into the smiling face of Mrs. Flowers, the lovely old lady that ran this place.

'Sweetie, a package came for you,' Mrs. Flowers said as she handed the box over to a stunned Cara.

'Erm.. Thanks, Mrs. Flowers,' Cara said with a forced smile.

Mrs. Flowers nodded and walked away.

Cara closed the door. She shouldn't be surprised she was found so quickly. The envelope on the top had her name on it. The handwriting was definitely Rebekah's.

_What the hell does she want? Wasn't it enough to keep me out of the loop?_

She opened the envelope indifferently. At least she was raised well enough to at least read the message before throwing it away.

_Hey Cara,  
I know you are probably mad as hell right now, and I don't blame you. Just believe me when I say it is not what you think it is.  
Just enjoy yourself today and don't worry too much.  
But, whatever you do, DON'T open this box until 7 p.m. tonight.  
I trust you to do exactly as the note in it says.  
I hope you can forgive me,  
xoxo Rebekah_

Cara rolled her eyes. Telling her to not do something didn't work on her. But, for some reason, she decided to listen to Rebekah. She blamed it on the fact that an angry Rebekah was not a fun Rebekah.

She put the box away, and decided to get some more sleep. She had woken up early the past few days, and with Kol gone, she just couldn't get back to sleep. The anger and hurt had exhausted her, so she ignored her number one rule and went to bed anyway.

She woke up by another knock on the door. She took a deep breath, and checked her phone. It was lunchtime, which meant Mrs. Flowers probably wanted to know if she needed something. A small smile crept on her face as she walked to the door. This was supposed to be a motel, where they just ignore you until you leave.

She opened the door, and a big smile appeared on her face as she saw that indeed Mrs. Flowers was standing there.

'Hello, Cara, was it?'

Cara nodded. 'What's wrong, Mrs. Flowers?'

'Well, it's lunchtime, and I didn't see you leaving, so I wondered if you would want to come down and join me for lunch?'

Cara's heart clenched at the trust and warmth of this woman.

'Yeah, I fell asleep, so I didn't know it was that late already.' Cara hopelessly pointed at her PJ's and messed up hair. 'But, I would love to have lunch with you. Give me 5 minutes to change?'

Cara smiled as Mrs. Flowers nodded with a smile.

'I'll see you soon then!'

* * *

Cara looked at the clock and gasped. 'Oh god! I didn't realize it was this late already! I am so sorry for keeping you from your work, Mrs. Flowers!'

Mrs. Flowers chuckled. 'It's okay, child. You clearly needed to talk. But, it's almost 7 now, and you need to go open that box. And promise me, you'll do what the note says?'

Cara shook her head with a smile. 'Yes, Mrs. Flowers, I will, don't worry.'

'Good,' Mrs. Flowers said happily. 'And don't worry about that boy too much. He'll either come around and tell you what was wrong, and things go from there, or he is just a jerk and you did the right thing by leaving.'

Cara smiled thankfully and decided to give the old woman a hug.

'Now, get up there!'

Cara chuckled and quickly went up to her room. Mrs. Flowers had been really sweet. She had listened, given her advice and told her some of her own stories. They had had sandwiches for lunch and a simple soup with bread for dinner. She felt so much better now.

She got the box from the table and put it on the bed. Slowly she lifted the lid up and put it down. Another envelope was laying on top of some paper.

_Hello there Cara!_

_I really hope it's not before 7 right now, and if it is, this is your last chance to wait._

So, here we go. I made a little list for you, with things to do. It's simple: Read one, act on it. Read the next one, act on that one.

_Have fun!_

Without reading Cara glanced over the list. It wasn't that long. She shrugged. What was the worst that could happen?

_ 1. Go do your make-up. I know you brought it with you, so no excuses!_

Cara furrowed her brows in confusion, but decided to go along with it. If this was Rebekah making up the lying to her, she would go with it.

She flipped her suitcase over, picking up the pieces of make-up that spilled all over the floor. She picked them up, and positioned herself in front of the mirror. She was glad she had been wearing make-up for a while now, so she was getting pretty good at it. After 15 minutes she decided her make-up looked perfect. Just her eyes. She always just focused on her eyes. It was enough.

She got back to the bed to read the second order. Cara found herself enjoying this.

_ 2. Go do your hair. Don't just brush it. Stick it up. Pins are in the little plastic bag on the side._

With wonder Cara pulled out the bag of pins, and got back to the mirror. She brushed her hair and loosely pinned her hair up. It took her a while, since she wanted the pink bits to look perfect. When she finally got it done, she saw that she had been struggling for 30 minutes. With a sigh she walked back to the bed.

_ 3. Undress. Completely. No cheating._

'What!' Cara exclaimed, staring at the words in shock. Grumbling about her promise to Mrs. Flowers she got rid of her clothes. Shivering she looked to the next order.

_ 4. Lift the first layer of papers. Put on what you find._

With a pounding heart Cara carefully got rid of the paper. She started blushing like crazy when she saw the lingerie she had picked out with Rebekah. She forgot Rebekah still had this one.

Her heart sank a bit. Kol hadn't even seen her new stuff yet. He was never there. She picked up the piece and thought of when Rebekah had joked about how long Kol would be able to keep his hands off of her with her wearing it.

Why would Rebekah put this in? Didn't she know this hurt like crazy? While keeping her tears in she put it on, and once again was surprised how good it looked on her. So sexy. She fumbled with the lace on the top. It was corset like, and it made her look a bit skinnier, which she liked. The bottom matched with it perfectly. It was mostly black, with little baby pink bows.

With a heavy heart she turned around to see what would come next.

_ 5. Remove the next layer of papers. Put on what you find._

Quickly Cara removed the papers and a small cry escaped her lips when she found the dress she had left on purpose. She guessed Rebekah remembered she wanted to wear these things together. She also guessed Rebekah forgot the part where it was supposed to be for Kol.

She slipped on the dress and she hardly believed the girl who was staring back at her. She was gorgeous, and much more confident. Clothes and make-up did that to her. She turned around again, after checking the time. She was already at it for an hour. Changing usually took her 10 minutes. This was truly Rebekah. She checked out the next order.

_ 6. Want to change your make-up now? Yes? Do it. No? Moving on._

_ 7. Put on the shoes you can find underneath the last layer of papers._

Cara was happy with her make-up so she pulled out the shoes. Groaning. Heels. Gorgeous, but they were still heels. She ignored the bag thingy on the bottom. She checked the next order of the list.

_ 8. You're wearing them. Put them on NOW!_

Cara laughed and put them on. Even though they were clearly Rebekah's, they fit perfectly.

She saw she was almost finished now.

_ 9. There's a clutch left in the box now. Put the stuff in that you need._

Clutch. So that was what they were called. They were so tiny! Seriously, what was the use of this?

She stuffed in her phone, her make-up and the key to her room.

Ah, this was the last one.

_ 10. Get going. Just walk down and a car will be waiting for you. Get in. The driver knows where to go._

_I hope you did everything I said, and you will be in that car any minute now. I figure it will be somewhere between 8 and 8:30 now, so the car will be waiting._

Cara suspected this would be a stunt of Rebekah: "Look how pretty you are!" but apparently she actually dressed up for something.

She took a deep breath, grabbed her clutch and walked downstairs. She decided to tell Mrs. Flowers where she was going.

She walked into the room and Mrs. Flowers looked up.

'Girl, you look gorgeous! Where are you going?'

Cara smiled shyly. 'Thanks… I don't know. The note told me to put this on and get into the car that is apparently waiting for me outside. I don't know at what time I'll be back. I'll be quiet if it's late, don't worry!' she added quickly.

Mrs. Flowers laughed. 'You go have fun. Don't worry about getting back! If it's too late and you can sleep somewhere else, that's fine. I'll see you somewhere around tomorrow!'

Cara smiled and nodded before walking out. A simple black car was waiting for her, with a driver waiting at the door.

'Good evening, miss,' he nodded, when he opened the door for her. She climbed in and suddenly got very nervous. Where was she going?


	38. Alibi

**Ohmygod! 90 reviews already! I love them, and each one brings me such joy, so keep it up! My real AN will be at the end of this chapter for once, hahah.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Alibi**

Kol was pacing around the living room, until Rebekah had enough of it. She got up from the chair she was sitting in and flashed in front of Kol. Kol slammed into her and growled.

'Stop it, Kol!' Rebekah said firmly. 'Don't be so nervous, she will love it!'

'She left, Rebekah! What if she doesn't come?'

'She'll come, don't worry. She knows better than to disobey me.' Rebekah smiled at her brother.

'You threatened her?' Kol asked in disbelief.

Rebekah rolled her eyes. 'No of course not, you idiot. I just left her a note, which said what she needed to do. She knows I'll be disappointed or mad if she ignores it. She'll be here.'

Kol shook his head and started pacing again. Rebekah sighed.

'I went too far this time. She hates surprises! I never should've started this! I couldn't even be around her for too long, cause I was too excited!' Kol took a deep breath. 'I had to lie to her, Rebekah! I had to LIE! She's never gonna forgive me…'

Rebekah stopped her brother in his tracks, and made him look at her.

'She will forgive you! As soon as she knows what we have all been hiding, she'll forget how angry she was! She might not like surprises, but she's going to love this one, do you hear me? Have a bit of faith!'

'When will she be here, then?' Kol asked Rebekah, ignoring everything she said.

Rebekah rolled her eyes and checked the time. She could be here any minute now. Come on, we should go outside.'

Kol nodded. 'You'd better be right about this, sweet sister…'

* * *

The car stopped in front of the Mikaelson's mansion and the driver opened the door for her.

'I am not going there,' she said stubborn.

'Miss Mikaelson told me to get you in there even if it would kill me,' the driver chuckled.

Cara rolled her eyes and got out of the car, helped by the driver.

'Well, even though I don't like where it got me, thank you for your services,' Cara thanked the driver.

The driver tipped his hat, smiled and got back into the car.

Cara took a deep breath, straightened her dress and walked up to the door. She was fuming at Rebekah right now. She'd better not be walking into some romantic dinner with Kol.

She knocked, and waited. Nothing. She tried the door, and it wasn't locked. O_f course not, idiot. They're vampires._ Cara chuckled softly and walked in. It was eerily quiet and she looked around. There was no one in sight. She walked into the living room, but she didn't find anyone either.

She was about to walk to the kitchen, as she saw a little note on the table.

_Try the garden_

'Seriously, Rebekah?' Cara muttered.

She walked to the big doors that led to the garden. She slid them open, and got scared the shit out of her.

'SURPRISE!'

Cara gave a shriek and stared at all of her friends who were holding a big banner that said "Welcome Home, Cara!"

She scanned the faces, and noticed that everyone was here, even the ones she hadn't even met before.

When it fully hit her what was going on, tears started falling down her cheeks, and a big smile spread across her face.

She was looking for one specific face in the crowd, and when she found him, she could see he was extremely relieved.

He quickly left his spot at the banner, and Rebekah scolded him for dropping his bit all of a sudden.

Kol chuckled and quickly made his way over to Cara.

'Surprise,' he said nervously, while avoiding her gaze.

'You did this?' Cara asked with round eyes.

Kol gave a nervous little laugh and nodded.

'So this is why you have been acting all weird last week? Disappearing, finding excuses..?' Cara asked while she tried to get him to look at her.

Cara could feel everyone was holding their breath. Obviously they had all known what happened.

Kol nodded once more. 'I am really sorry, Cara… I never wanted to lie, or be away from you, but being around you made it so hard! I couldn't tell you, and I wanted to so bad.. Can you forgive me?'

Finally Kol looked up, fully expecting a cold look in Cara's usual warm eyes, but he got surprised when Cara flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

'I love it, thank you so much!'

Everyone was laughing and clapping, and Kol picked her up and spun her around.

When she got put down, Damon walked over to her.

'Damon!' Cara exclaimed. 'You sneaky little bastard!'

Damon smirked. 'You have no idea what I've been through these past days! Taking orders from Vampire Barbie 1 & 2 and that Kol idiot? I thought I was going to die.'

Cara laughed. 'It must've been awful,' she said ironically.

'It was,' Damon said seriously, with a humorous glint in his eyes. 'But it was all worth it, just to see you smile like this.'

Cara gave him a quick hug before making her way around the party.

She had laughed so hard at Caroline's flustered apology for ignoring her, and acting all strange. Of course she had forgiven Caroline. Caroline became the happy, bubbly person again when Cara pointed out that everything looked great.

'Rebekah helped me a lot,' Caroline grudgingly admit. 'The girl has taste.'

Cara chuckled and got tapped on the shoulder. She turned around and saw Elena standing there.

'Erm, hey, Cara,' Elena smiled warmly. 'I know we got off on the wrong foot, and I am sorry. Obviously we didn't know Kol… He totally changed our minds these past days.' Elena smiled apologetically.

'It's okay, it's not your fault,' Cara said smiling. 'Don't worry, we're good.'

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. 'Okay, now with that out of the way, I'd like you to meet someone. Wait a sec, I'll go grab him!'

Cara watch amused as Elena walked over to Jeremy and pulled him along with her.

'Cara, this is-' Elena began.

'JEREMY!' Cara exclaimed and she hugged a totally taken aback Jeremy.

'Oh right. I guess introductions aren't that necessary with you,' Elena laughed.

Cara let go of Jeremy, and a smile broke through on his face.

'Hello to you too, Cara,' he chuckled.

'Hello there,' she smiled innocently.

They started talking a bit about her being here, when Kol interrupted them.

'Why don't you go say hi to everyone before you start chatting with Gilbert over here, darling?' Kol asked sweetly.

Cara raised her eyebrow. Was Kol jealous? Of who? She snickered.

'Something funny?' Jeremy asked amused.

Kol shot him a glare, which made Cara laugh even harder.

Damon walked over, having overheard the conversation, and asked: 'Does this have anything to do with that show of yours?'

Cara nodded, still smiling. 'Sometimes the irony is just too much,' she said, while catching her breath.

'But, Kol was right. I should go say hello to everyone.' Cara started to walk around as Kol yanked her back softly.

'First tell us what was so funny,' Kol insisted.

Cara looked from Kol to Jeremy, and felt another bubble of laughter coming up. The way Jeremy stood there, uncomfortable in Kol's presence. The way Kol glared at Jeremy, not liking him one bit.

Cara bit back the laughter and said matter-of-factly: 'I was shipping you like crazy.'

They both stared at her like dolls.

'Shipping, rooting…' Cara tried to explain.

Jeremy caught on first, and Kol followed soon after.

Their mouths fell open, and they stared at each other in wonder and disgust.

'We were a … couple on the show?' Kol forced out. 'If I was gay there, why would you crush on me?'

Cara blushed slightly.

'You weren't a couple on the show. But boy, did I wish you were! Obviously, my hopes were crushed when you killed Kol,' she looked at Jeremy. 'Not completely, since you seemed to feel bad about it. But then you got killed by Silas and I knew it was over.'

'He? Killed me?' Kol gave a sarcastic laugh.

Cara raised an eyebrow. 'Yes he did. It was awful. I do not wish to relive that episode. I was grieving for weeks.'

They both just stared at her.

'Give me a break,' Cara rolled her eyes and looked at Damon, who was laughing so hard he was attracting glances from the people around them.

Klaus walked over with a worried glance.

'Everything okay?' He asked with a worried tone. He didn't tone his voice down. Everyone was listening in anyway.

Damon caught his breath, and said: 'Cara just told us about one of her favorite ships from that show we supposedly are all in.'

Klaus raised an eyebrow. 'Ship?'

'Yeah, that's apparently what they call "rooting for someone to be together" nowadays,' Damon air-quoted.

Klaus eyes started to sparkle. 'So…?'

Damon looked from Jeremy to Kol, who both were still stunned.

Klaus' eyes got all big and round. 'Kol and Jeremy?' He said with an amused tone.

Cara looked around to see everyone trying to fight their smiles.

'So, Cara. Who do you ship me with?' Klaus asked, his eyes amused.

'Realisticly, or AU? Like Kol & Jeremy?'

'Both,' Klaus said wiggling his eyebrows.

'Fine.' Cara walked up onto the little stage. 'Everyone, I received a question about my pairings. I want this to share with all of you, since keeping secrets like that is quite impossible. If anyone else wants to know something, this is the time! If this has to become my home, I can't spend my days answering everybody's questions. So, if you want to know something just ask me. Just line up or something,' Cara laughed.

'One small notion: Every answer I will give, is based on the characters of that show, not on you. So don't be mad at me.'

She took a deep breath.

'So, all of you heard about my Kol & Jeremy pairing. I won't go into details why, you wouldn't get it,' Cara smiled. 'Now, Klaus asked me about him. Once again, this is based on the show, and doesn't have anything to do with you personally.'

Klaus gave her a wide grin. 'Come on, then, love!'

Cara rolled her eyes. 'My realistic pairing with you, Klaus, is with Caroline. For the record, realistic is something that could actually happen. The other one, the AU, as we call it, is what will never happen, but what fans like to imagine. Like Kol and Jeremy. For Klaus, that is with Stefan.' Cara struggled to keep a straight face, as she heard Damon roaring in laughter.

'Why?' Stefan and Klaus asked together.

Cara laughed. 'Didn't I just tell you I wouldn't go into details? Let's just say it has to do with the 20s and the tension between you two.'

The crowd laughed. Cara spent the rest of the evening answering everybody's questions, and the mood shifted from friends to family. She really was home. She got off stage and walked up to Kol, to give him a loving kiss.

'Thank you, this was amazing,' she whispered. She could feel Kol's grin when he hugged her.

* * *

**So... I hope I didn't disappoint you! Most of you thought Kol was going to propose, and I am not saying that it will never happen, but right now it wouldn't be realistic. Cara is only 18 and she hasn't known him for that long. But, who knows? Haha it's hard to say.**

**I just needed her to have an evening of fun, which she got :). I just thought a lighter chapter would do the story good!**

**So, I hope you still liked it! Please review and let me know what you think! I'll try to update as soon as I can!**


	39. Alone Together

**Almost a 100 reviews! I am stunned, but extremely happy at the same time! This is more than I could have ever dreamed of! So thank you!**

**I am relieved to see all of you loved it! I really thought you would hate it, hahaha. **

**Apparently the ship of Kol & Jeremy is hilarious xD. I can't help it, though. The signs are there, and with the chemistry between Steven & Nate... Glad I amused you :D!**

**So, time for another chapter! It's still one with good vibes :)**

**I hope you like it!**

* * *

**Alone Together**

As everybody left Cara gave every Mikaelson another big hug.

'I was mad as hell for everyone acting so strange, but wow, you all keeping that from me for so long? I can't say I'm not impressed.'

Klaus chuckled. 'It wasn't easy, trust me. And when you decided to leave this morning, which was to be expected when we dodged your questions, Kol started freaking.'

Kol growled and rolled his eyes. Cara laughed.

'I can imagine. I'm not sorry for leaving though.'

Kol looked at her with a shocked face.

'You're not coming back?' Kol asked with a small voice.

'Don't worry, I'll come back. I meant I would do it all over again if all you start acting weird again. See this as a warning,' Cara smiled at Kol. 'Lie to me, cheat on me, or whatever, and I'm gone.' Cara shrugged.

Elijah chuckled. It was good for Kol to know Cara would be gone if he went too far.

'That's good to know,' Kol said, giving Cara a quick kiss on her cheek. 'But don't worry, I'd never do that to you.'

Cara raised an eyebrow and smirked.

'I meant the actual cheating and lying part. This was out of my hands, really,' Kol said rolling his eyes.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever,' Cara said while smiling.

'So,' Rebekah interrupted. 'Are you staying here tonight?'

Cara felt Kol's pleading eyes on her. She decided to twist the truth a bit to her advantage. She was no fan of lying, but no one would hate her for this.

While smirking internally, she said: 'No, I promised Mrs. Flowers I would get back tonight. Don't want her to worry,' Cara said while smiling sweetly.

'Why do you care about her?' Kol asked confused.

Cara rolled her eyes. Kol would never change in that department.

'You should be grateful, really,' Cara said, while glaring at him. 'She made me promise to follow Rebekah's note. Without her, I wouldn't have come.'

That shut Kol up immediately.

'Well, then at least let me take you there,' Kol said, still not liking that she'd be away for the night.

Cara smiled. 'That would be nice.' She turned to the others and wished them all a goodnight.

'See you tomorrow, sweetheart,' Klaus said while giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Cara had to hold back her laughter at Kol's face.

Rebekah and Elijah waved and followed Klaus into the house.

Before Kol and Cara could start walking Rebekah threw two shoes downstairs. Cara picked them up and laughed.

'Thank you, Rebekah!' she yelled up. She quickly threw off the heels and put them by the door. She put the flats on and sighed a sigh of relief.

Kol shook his head. 'Some lady you are,' he muttered.

Cara grinned. 'I never said I was a lady.'

Kol laughed. Cara liked the sound of him laughing. It was so rich and it made him seem so young again.

'Come on,' Kol said while taking Cara's hand. 'Let's get you to bed.'

* * *

They had walked the whole way in silence. Cara was safely tucked in against Kol, with his arm around her, protecting her from the cold.

Cara felt Kol getting uncomfortable as they approached the motel.

'What's wrong?' Cara muttered.

Kol sighed. After a 1000 years his siblings still didn't know when something was wrong, but this girl had had him figured out in no time.

'I have missed waking up next to you so bad, and I… Well, I had just hoped that…' Kol's voice trailed off. He felt like a weak idiot.

Cara pulled his arm away from her and turned to look at him.

'Who said you wouldn't be waking up next to me?'

It took Kol a minute to grasp what she was saying.

'You're asking me to stay with you?' Kol suddenly got very nervous. If Cara would say no right now, he'd be crushed. He hadn't lied when he said he missed waking up next to her.

Cara nodded, and then a cheeky grin appeared on her face.

'I thought we could spend just one night and morning alone, without ears listening in.' Cara grabbed Kol's hand and started walking again to the motel. 'Don't get me wrong, I love Rebekah, but her questioning me about my sex life…' Cara shuddered.

Kol chuckled. 'Yeah, not the best way to wake up.'

On the outside he appeared cool, but on the inside he was brimming with happiness. After the last couple of lonely nights, he would finally be able to hold Cara again until she fell asleep.

When they arrived to her room, Cara opened the door and led Kol in. She was excited, and even though she didn't want Rebekah listening in, that didn't mean she would tell her about his response.

As soon as he closed the door, Cara pushed him against it, while crushing her lips against his.

Kol was only caught off guard for a second, and he kissed her back with a passion he had never felt before. He pouted when Cara pulled loose and started walking to the other side of the room.

'Seriously, you're pouting?'

Kol quickly changed his face into one of nonchalance. 'No,' he said while avoiding her gaze.

Cara shook her head in amusement. She was going to drag this out a bit.

'So,' she cocked an eyebrow. She loved seeing Kol so on edge. His eyes had already darkened with lust. 'You thought, she asked me to come up, so there will be sex in it for me?'

She saw Kol struggle to answer.

'No, not really,' Kol said honestly. 'Not until you pushed me against the door and kissed me like that.'

'Hmpf,' Cara huffed. 'So now it's my fault.'

'No, no!' Kol started, but before he could continue, Cara cut him off.

'Oh, but don't you worry. You'll get lucky,' Cara said casually while taking off her shoes.

Kol immediately felt aroused. But he knew something was coming. Cara wasn't like this.

'Obviously, you treated me bad last week. I think you need to be punished for that,' Cara said while pulling the pins out of her hair, letting it fall down. She knew that just that would have effect on Kol. She peeked up at him, and to her amusement saw he was biting his lip.

Kol was confused. He needed to be punished, but as she put it, he would still get lucky? He only got what she meant, when she let her hair fall down. This was going to be on her terms. And as soon as he would slip up… He bit his lip, holding himself back.

'I see you get the idea,' Cara said while smirking. It was so easy to read his face.

Slowly she took off her dress, and hung it over the mirror.

Kol gasped. He knew it! He knew she had bought something he wasn't allowed to see! He couldn't hang on to that thought for long, though. He could only see Cara, think of Cara. She looked divine. He wanted nothing more than to flash up to her and rip it off. He knew he couldn't, though. A small growl escaped his lips.

Cara smirked. She could see this was taking every bit of self-control he had. The growl only made her enjoy this more.

Slowly she walked over to him, and she saw he was trembling.

She let a finger wander over his arm. 'Are you so nervous?' Cara teased. 'Or am I just too irresistible,' she whispered in his ear.

Kol tried his best not to let her know what she was doing to him, but his body betrayed him. He let out a soft moan.

Cara stepped even closer, so that their bodies were pressed against each other. She felt something twitching, and a smile spread out across her body.

Cara grabbed his hands and put them on her sides. 'You can move, you know,' she purred.

Instantly his lips were on hers and his hands were roaming her body.

His kisses were hungry, and Cara found herself enjoying this more than she had thought. His lust and passion just grew to a boiling point when he had to hold himself back for a while.

He moved his kisses from her mouth to her neck, to her collar bone, to the top of her breasts. Cara breathed hard and moved her hands to remove his jacket.

While kissing her lips again, Kol shrugged his jacket off. When Cara started to move for his shirt, he decided to just quickly pull it off himself.

Kol saw Cara's attitude changing, and he took his chance. He knew she wouldn't back out now, she wanted it too much.

He picked her up, and turned them around so she was with her back against the door.

Cara moaned and wrapped her legs around him.

They attacked each other's lips and after a few minutes, they pulled apart, catching their breath. Cara stood a bit wobbly on her feet, but she managed. They looked in each other's eyes, and got lost in them. They both felt the love radiating from the other.

Cara decided this was the moment to let go of control.

She leaned in and whispered in his ear, in her most seductive voice: 'You can let go now…'

Kol's breath hitched and with a hoarse voice he breathed: 'Finally…'

Kol didn't waste time but flashed them to the bed, where he hovered over Cara, breathing hard.

'You drive me crazy, you know that?' Kol growled softy.

'I know,' Cara said, heat in her eyes. 'But you have no idea how good it feels to drive you to edge, only to push you over in the end.'

Kol couldn't deny it. Everything was intensified. When he couldn't do anything, all he wanted was to do just that. And when Cara finally allowed him to take control, it indeed felt so much better.

Kol just smirked. 'You are such a bad girl,' he said while leaning in to kiss her.

* * *

The next morning Cara woke up with her head on Kol's chest, their arms wrapped around each other. She snuggled a bit closer, and felt Kol kissing the top of her head.

'Good morning, darling,' he said while he nuzzled in her hair. 'Did you sleep well?'

'Heavenly,' Cara smiled. She got up and gave Kol a light kiss. She loved how Kol always smiled at her when she did that.

'How are you feeling today?' Kol asked, a bit of worry in his voice. 'You had a rough week, and a party to top it off must have exhausted you.

Cara checked how her body felt and responded. To her surprise it was normal. She hadn't had any signs from her disease since she accepted this was her home. Could it be…?

'I am… good,' Cara said, with wonder in her voice, while she sat up straight.

Kol got up as well and looked at her.

'I haven't had a bad day since I acknowledged this was my home. Not even a lesser day. Just, normal.'

Cara's gaze turned to hopeful. 'Do you think it could be gone, Kol? The disease? Do you think it's finally over?' Tears were starting to fall, but Kol kissed them away.

'Let's hope so, darling, let's hope so.'

A huge smile spread on Cara's face, and Kol hoped with all he had it would be gone. If only just to see Cara so happy like this, without a care in the world.


	40. Home

**So many reviews! yaaay! **

**So, finally, the next chapter. Life is hectic now, with so much work.. But I'm trying, so don't be mad! **

**About that fundraise of mine: we now have bracelets you can buy, and we still have two teddy bears left :) If you're interested in helping to stop slavery, let me know!**

**Okay, so I hope you will enjoy this chapter, and that I will be able to write again soon!**

* * *

**Home**

'How are you feeling today, sweetie?'

Cara opened her eyes and smiled weakly. 'Horrible…' A tear fell down. 'Why is this happening to me? It went so well lately, and since a week it's been getting worse! Worse than in the very beginning!'

Her dad helped Cara into a sitting position, and held her, until the tears just wouldn't come anymore.

'What did your psychologist say yesterday?'

'She was just as surprised as I was. She says it doesn't look like a normal setback, but she doesn't know what else it could be…'

'And this doesn't have anything to do with John?'

Cara shook her head. 'He might still be pissed, and convinced this has something to do with Nate, but it feels good. It feels better now. A huge weight has lifted off my shoulders, and I really hope we can be friends.'

'Something to do with Nate?' her dad asked confused. 'That actor you met at that convention? The one that kissed you?'

Cara nodded and smiled. 'Yeah, that one. John is convinced I am in love with that guy.'

'Are you?'

Cara laughed. 'Oh, madly, deeply,' she said ironically.

Her dad laughed and shook his head.

'Well, I am going to work. You just rest, and try not to worry too much, okay?'

Cara nodded and watched her dad leave. As soon as the door closed, a wave of sadness overtook her. She didn't know what was going on lately, but she knew it was strange.

She had the feeling that when she texted someone was watching along. It was creepy as hell, and so she stopped texting unless it was necessary.

She also sometimes got these weird rushes of joy, at the weirdest moments, and she knew they weren't hers. There was nothing in her life that would make her feel that happy.

Suddenly, the screen of her phone lit up. With a pounding heart she picked it up, and saw nothing.

'What the hell?' she muttered.

No messages, no missed calls.. Nothing that would light up her screen.

She put her phone back, and paid no further attention. Her phone did more crazy things. She let herself fall back down into her pillows, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Cara woke up, feeling incredibly sad. She had no idea where it was coming from, she was the happiest person in the world when she went to sleep.

She tried to think if something happened during the night, but she couldn't recall anything. She just slept, without waking up, and from the looks of it, Kol hadn't even moved an inch.

Even though she didn't know where it was coming from, she recognized the feeling. This was the exact same feeling of consuming sadness she had when she was still in her other life. She thought she was passed that, but apparently not…

The feeling left her all of a sudden. It was gone, and she felt like she thought she was supposed to feel. Happy. Her heart was racing. What just happened?

Kol woke up to a frantic heartbeat. When he saw Cara's scared face to match that, he was wide awake immediately and on his guard.

'What's wrong?' Kol asked carefully, while scanning the room. There was nothing. He relaxed a bit.

'I… I don't know,' Cara whispered. 'One minute I was immensely sad, and the other I was feeling normal again. But the sadness felt different than usual, as if it wasn't mine.'

Kol's eyes widened.

'What if you just experienced something from the other you?'

Cara gasped. 'If so, then why now? Why not the entire time?'

Kol shrugged. 'I don't know. Maybe it only happens when it's really intense?'

Cara thought about it. But the more she did, the less she wanted to. This was her life now. She had accepted that. She didn't need to know how her other self was feeling. It wouldn't do her any good.

'Whatever it is, or was, it's gone now. We'll deal with this some other time.'

Cara sighed. This was not how she expected her first morning with Kol to be like.

'It's okay,' Kol said, smiling warmly. 'I still got to see your beautiful face when I woke up, and you are still here now. You don't know how much I've missed this…'

His voice trailed off as he leaned in, and Cara closed the distance. Their lips met for a soft, loving kiss and they broke apart smiling at each other.

When Kol leaned in again, Cara rolled away and got out of the bed.

'Hey!' Kol pouted. 'Who said I was finished?'

Cara chuckled. She changed quickly into her clothes and went to brush her hair. When she got back from the bathroom, she saw Kol reluctantly getting dressed. She walked up to him and hugged him from behind.

'Don't pout. I can't leave Mrs. Flowers waiting, now can I? She is probably waiting with breakfast downstairs.'

Cara knew Mrs. Flowers wasn't, but that there would be breakfast soon if she went down. She started for the door.

'And what about my breakfast?' Kol said smirking.

'You go fetch yourself a squirrel,' Cara said dismissively, while she turned around.

Kol laughed. 'I don't do squirrels, darling.'

'I know, and that's good, because they are adorable. Just go fetch someone then,' Cara said while rolling her eyes.

Kol chuckled and walked up to Cara to give her a kiss.

'I will pack my things, and see you back at the mansion after breakfast, okay?'

'If you insist,' Kol mumbled.

'Yeah, I insist. Now, chop chop, I'm hungry.' She started pushing Kol to the window.

'The window?' Kol raised an eyebrow.

'I'm pretty sure Mrs. Flowers won't approve of a guy staying over. Plus, this way you can find some lost guy in the woods easier, or something like that,' Cara said.

Kol laughed and shook his head. This girl just kept surprising him.

'Fine then. I'll see you back at the mansion. I'll be preparing lunch, so don't be late!' Kol warned her.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever.' Cara rolled her eyes, but smiled at him.

Kol gave her another quick kiss and left. Cara turned and walked downstairs to the kitchen, where she found Mrs. Flowers.

'Cara! You're back! How was it?' Mrs. Flowers said while fumbling with pans. 'Do you want some breakfast too?'

Cara smiled and nodded. 'That would be nice, thank you.'

* * *

While they were eating their scrambled eggs with bacon and bread, Cara told Mrs. Flowers everything. Only in this version, Kol just walked her here, and then walked back.

'I'll be packing my things to go back after breakfast,' Cara smiled. 'He warned me he would make lunch, so I should be there.'

Mrs. Flowers laughed. 'Then you shouldn't make him wait, sweetheart. He sounds like a good kid.'

Cara had to hold back a chuckle. A kid. The guy was over a 1000 years old.

'Yeah, he is,' Cara said smiling.

Mrs. Flowers beamed at her. 'Oh, look at you! All head over heels! Young love is so beautiful!'

Cara thought Mrs. Flowers would start clapping her hands any time soon.

Cara put the last bite into her mouth, and Mrs. Flowers scooped the plate up immediately.

'Now, go pack your stuff and go home,' Mrs. Flowers said. 'You are always welcome here! If you need privacy with Kol, I will always have a room for you! But right now, you need to get your butt back over there!'

Cara laughed. 'Thank you for everything, Mrs. Flowers.'

Mrs. Flowers waved it away. 'It was nothing. I am glad I could help!'

Cara rushed up to pack her things. She didn't have to be at the mansion for another few hours though, so she made a stop at Damon's.

She walked in and called out. 'Damon? You home?'

Stefan walked over to her. 'Damon's out. Can I give him a message?' He eyed her bags.

'Meh, not really. I just wanted to hang out until I have to get back to the mansion for lunch.' She put down her bag. 'And what are you up to?'

Stefan felt uncomfortable. Yet he felt like he could tell Cara.

'Me and Elena are having some issues. She wants to know stuff about the 20s now, and what you meant by tension.'

'Between you and Klaus?' Cara said with round eyes.

Stefan nodded.

'I am so sorry! I thought I made it clear this had nothing to do with any of you! I mean, obviously Kol's not gay,' Cara smirked.

Stefan gave a short chuckle.

'Or you ,or Klaus, for that matter,' Cara added.

Stefan sighed. 'I know, but Elena is still a bit in an emotional overdrive. The fact that I don't want to answer questions about the 20s… That just only makes it worse.'

'But why wouldn't you tell her? She knows about your ripper side, and how bad can a romance with Rebekah, and a bromance with Klaus be?'

Stefan just stared at her.

'If that is what happened, of course,' Cara mumbled.

'No, no, it happened. It's just really weird that you know all of these things. I'm not quite used to it yet.' Stefan shrugged apologetically.

'It's okay,' Cara smiled. 'But it's not that bad, right? Or are Elena and Rebekah still more enemies than friends?'

'They're on speaking terms. I wouldn't call them friends just yet. But, I don't know. She spent so long hating Klaus and Rebekah.. It feels wrong to just tell her we were like besties back then.'

Cara laughed. 'Besties? I like that. But you should. You wouldn't want to lose her over this, now do you? I love Damon, and as I said at the party, I wasn't a big fan of you back home.'

Stefan shrugged and smiled.

'But if you lose her, you're not only going to lose her. You'll be losing her to Damon. Just keep that in mind. Just fight for her. Their relationship wouldn't do any of you good, trust me.'

Stefan nodded. Getting the message that Damon and Elena didn't quite worked out in that show of hers.

'Thank you, Cara, I owe you one!'

'We'll see about that.' She checked the time. 'I guess I should head over to Kol's. Wouldn't want to be late for lunch,' Cara smiled.

'Good luck with Elena,' Cara yelled when she walked out.


	41. Yellow Brick Road

**Hey! It's been a while again, I am so sorry! But it's so hectic! Work, work, birthdays... And now this week packing enters the mix, for I will be headed to Italy for two weeks next Monday. I will for sure write another chapter before I leave, because I plan to leave you hanging with a cliffhanger. muahaha.**

**I hope you will enjoy this chapter anyways, even though it's been a while!**

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**Yellow Brick Road**

As Cara was walking towards the mansion, she wondered where Damon was. She had a thought, but she didn't think he would appreciate it if she were to come by. Plus, she didn't know where the graveyard was.

She walked towards the mansion and enjoyed the weather. It was a little cold for her taste, she needed a coat, but it was a beautiful day nonetheless. Unwillingly she thought back to this morning. The sudden sadness that filled her. She was sure Kol was right. She must have picked up some of her feelings back home. Would her other self pick up feelings from her? The thoughts gave her a head ache. She started to walk faster. She wanted to see her old phone again. Maybe there were some messages. Surely she would have told John, right?

When she walked up to the door she heard voices shouting. Slowly she opened the door and put her bags to the side. She was surprised to hear Damon's voice, with Kol growling back. Cara rolled her eyes. So far for keeping it friendly.

She was about to walk into the room and shut them up, when Damon shouted:

'That's why I will do it! Just give me the damn thing!'

'No!' Kol growled. 'You can't do this without her consent! She will hate you for it!'

Damon huffed. Cara walked closer to the door.

'Better she hates me than you. You won't survive otherwise,' Damon snorted.

'Why would you be okay with the girl you love hating you?' Kol shot back.

Cara could imagine Kol's eyebrows raising.

'I won't be. But since I am a friend, she will be more forgiving. It's how it works. If you were to do this, she won't get over it. With me she might. I can only hope for the best.'

_What the hell are they talking about?_

'Even if that might be true, you really expect me to lie again? This is not some surprise party we are talking about!'

'I know,' Damon said softly. Cara was straining to hear. 'But I will do it anyway. Just tell her I am doing something, and that I made you promise not to tell her. That won't be a lie. If you promise.'

Cara could feel Damon's smirk through the door.

'You can even tell her you don't agree, but that you couldn't stop me. Once again, not a lie.'

'Fine,' Kol snapped. Cara heard Damon catching something. 'But if she will hate you for it, I won't be there for you to talk her out of it.'

'I understand.'

Cara quickly grabbed her bags and went outside. She ran to the beginning of the property, and quickly turned around when the door opened. She calmly walked up to the door where Damon gave her a bright smile.

'Here you are!' Cara beamed, trying to calm down her heartbeat. 'I was looking for you, but Stefan said you were out. What were you doing here?'

Damon looked at her suspiciously. 'Why were you looking for me?'

Cara shrugged. 'I had some time left before Kol expected me to show up for lunch, so I thought I would catch up a bit with my best friend.' She cocked an eyebrow. 'Is that so weird?'

Damon quickly recomposed himself. 'No, no, it's not. I am sorry I wasn't there.'

'Meh. It's okay. I had a lovely chat with Stefan.'

Damon's eyebrows shot up, but Cara ignored him and walked past him.

'Kol, hunny, I'm hooooome!' she squealed.

Damon laughed, gave her a quick hug and left.

Slowly Kol walked out of the living room. He stopped in the doorway and leaned against the wall, arms folded, lips in a delicious smirk.

Cara closed the front door behind her and walked up to Kol. She avoided his eyes, she would melt if she did. They were way to smoldering right now. He was up to something. Whatever just happened with Damon, he had no clue she had heard.

Damn, he looked gorgeous. He had his hair cut in the short time they were apart, and boy, did she love it. She had always preferred his short hair. His longer hair just made her think of the German coat. Which made her wonder. Would he have it? She decided to look through his closet soon. She just has to wear that thing. Just once.

'Don't you look gorgeous,' she purred on her way over.

Kol's smirk grew. 'Glad you like it, darling.'

He pushed himself off of the wall and walked past her into the kitchen.

Cara rolled her eyes and turned around to follow him. She gasped when she saw what a mess the kitchen was.

Kol grinned cheekily. 'Yeah, I cannot say I am the world's cleanest cook. Sorry for the mess.'

'But this looks like a warzone!' Cara exclaimed.

'That's what happens when Damon suddenly honors me with his presence. All of a sudden my concentration was needed elsewhere.' His face hardened.

'What did he want to talk about?' Cara asked carefully. She was curious to hear what he would say.

'He wanted to do something. I didn't agree. He didn't care.' Kol scowled. 'He even made me promise to not tell you, which sucks.'

Cara stifled a giggle. It was adorable how Kol tried to pick up the modern tongue.

'It's okay,' Cara shushed. 'I know how Damon can be. I won't ask again.'

Kol looked grateful, but suspicious at the same time. Cara shook her head. Those two might hate each other for some reason, but they have much more in common than they would like to admit.

Kol looked around the mess once more. 'I am afraid we have to reschedule our lunch plans. There is no way I'll have food ready in time.'

Cara's heart softened when he saw his guilty look.

'We could go out and grab a bite somewhere?' Cara suggested. 'I will go put away my stuff, and then I will be ready to go.' And I will look for that coat of yours, she added in her head.

Kol smiled. 'Great. You go do that, I will clean this up before Nik will kill me.'

Cara chuckled and went up with her stuff. She quickly threw everything where it should. She would put everything nicely away when she got back. Now she needed time to find that coat.

She tip-toed across the hall and sneaked into his room. Obviously she needed a coat, right? He would understand. She smirked as she went through his clothes. He definitely had a style of his own. A good one, at that.

When she got to the coats she immediately saw the one she was looking for. She pulled it out and shrugged it on. A wide smile across her face. Awesome! She still wasn't sure as to why Kol wore coats. He was a vampire. He didn't feel cold. But then again, if you had the chance to wear this coat, you would.

'Are you ready, darling?' Kol shouted up.

'Yes! I'll be right there!'

Cara made sure his closet didn't look too raided, and she walked down. In his coat. As if nothing was wrong in the world.

'We will be walking, if you don't mind, it's such a beautiful day,' Kol was rambling when she came down. When he heard her, he turned around and his jaw fell down.

'You're wearing my coat,' he said stunned.

'One of many,' Cara shot back sweetly.

'Where did you find it?' Kol was sure he had stuffed it somewhere in the back. It was the coat he had bought when he still had plans to torture some certain people. It radiated power, and that was what made it perfect.

'Somewhere stuffed in the back! It is sad, really. It's such a gorgeous coat!'

Kol picked something up in her smile.

'You were looking for it,' he stated. How? How did she know? He had never even wore the damn thing.

'Yes, I was.'

'How did you know about it? I have never worn it yet.' Kol shook his head.

'Well, I have seen you wear it. Trust me, it looked good on you. Really good. You did have longer hair then, so I don't know if it will look as good on you now.' Cara shrugged.

'When was I wearing this?' Kol looked puzzled.

'You tried to torture information about the cure out of creepy professor guy Shane,' Cara said matter-of-factly. 'And then you killed him. Too bad he didn't stay dead, though. Bonnie did some expression thingy and almost killed April in the process.' Car sighed.

Kol stared in wonder. She had seen things that didn't even happen yet. There was no way she could have known about the cure. No one here did, except for him. And who the hell was April?

'I tried to kill a man for information in that coat, and still you wish to wear it? Search for it, even?'

Cara nodded. 'I mean, seriously? Have you actually really seen this coat? It's is extremely awesome. I am sure it was made in Germany.'

'It was,' Kol said, still trying to wrap his mind around this.

Cara smiled triumphantly. 'Who cares who wore the coat at what time when it looks this great?' She eyed him closely and quickly descended the final steps. 'Are you okay? Do you want it back?'

She started to take it off, but Kol's hand stopped her.

'I don't need it back, you can keep it,' he muttered, still lost in thought.

Cara snapped her fingers in front of his face.

'Earth to Kol! What is wrong with you?'

'How do you know about the cure?' Cara had to fight not to take a step back when she saw the fire in his eyes.

'Rebekah and Klaus knew of it, because of that Alexander guy. They told Stefan, and in the end everyone knew. Obviously they went in search of it. You tried to stop them with all you had. You even tried to chop off Jeremy's arms. That seriously hurt my feelings.'

A small smirk formed on Kol's lips. Cara and her stupid pairings. That Jeremy was a hunter didn't surprise him. The Gilbert line was famous for its hatred for vampires. Of course one day one of them would become one of the five.

'But, they killed you in the process. You tried to warn them about Silas, they wouldn't listen, and killed you, to complete the mark in one go.'

Kol stared in shock. He really did get killed. He really thought Cara was making a joke.

'And did they find the cure?' Kol's voice was hard. He was afraid for the answer.

Cara's face fell. 'They did. Jeremy got killed by Silas, and Silas rose.' She sighed. 'No one even mentioned once that you tried to warn them. It was unfair. And when Bonnie lifted the veil, you got back. But in the end Bonnie saved Jeremy, while dying herself, and you were gone forever once again.'

Kol saw Cara choking up and rushed to her, pulling her close.

'Don't worry, darling. Whatever you saw happening, was only in the show. It won't happen, I won't leave you…'

Cara smiled softly. She wiped her tears away and pulled loose.

'So. If you are done brooding about this coat and all, can we go to lunch now?'

Kol rolled his eyes. He was sure she would surprise him many times after today. And even though he pretended not to care, it frightened him that the Gilberts succeeded in killing him. What if they could do so here as well? He shook his head. He couldn't think like that. Since the party everything was well between all of them. He shoved the thoughts from his mind and wrapped an arm around Cara.

His Cara in his coat of turture. The irony she brought with her would never stop to amuse him.


	42. I'm With You

**Hello there! Are you all ready for the last chapter before I leave for Italy :)? Just know that after this one, it will probably take 3 weeks before another chapter will be up! You are warned :)**

**I think I managed to leave you hanging for those 3 weeks, so I feel good about that, hahaha. **

**Please, review, all of you, it would make my day to come back to all of those reviews!**

**Enjoy!**

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**I'm With You**

'You should really take that coat off,' Kol said while rolling his eyes. They had been back from lunch 20 minutes now, and Cara refused to take the damn thing off.

Cara pouted. 'I don't want to. It's so prettyyyy,' she squealed.

Kol sighed and walked up to her, forcing her out of it by tickling her.

'Hey! That was unfair!'

Kol shrugged. 'You can wear it whenever you have to go outside, just not in here. You're not supposed to wear a coat inside of the house.'

'I'm also not supposed to wear two different shoes at once,' Cara sneered back.

Kol chuckled. 'No. No, you're not. Still, it's different.'

'Fine,' Cara muttered. She took the coat out of his hands and went to the hallway to hang it with the others. She turned around to face him. He was leaning against the doorway, again. Damn, he probably heard how that affected her. 'Happy now?' She tried her very best to sound annoyed, but obviously she failed.

A slow, lazy grin formed on Kol's face. He could hear her heartbeat skip when she faced him, just like this morning. 'You okay, darling? Your heart is racing,' he asked sweetly.

Cara scowled at him, and Kol just laughed.

'Anyways,' Cara said lightly. 'I gave up my coat. Can I go up now? I need to put my stuff away nicely.'

'I thought you did that already?' Kol wrinkled his eyebrows in confusion.

'I was too busy looking for your coat,' Cara stated.

Kol rolled his eyes. 'Fine, but I will be out in a moment, I am meeting Elijah.'

Cara nodded. That was good. Now she had all the time in the world to see if she had messages and maybe call Caroline.

She gave Kol a quick kiss and ran up the stairs. She walked into her room, straight to the dresser. Confusion hit her. Where was her phone? She had put it right there, she was sure of it. She checked the rest of the dresser, and the floor, but found nothing. Cara then tried to move the dresser, to see if it had fallen behind, but she couldn't move it on her own.

'Kol!' she yelled, knowing he hadn't left just yet.

Kol was in front of her in mere seconds, a worried look on his face.

'Could you help me move this dresser? It's too heavy for me.'

'Why would you want to move it? Are you redecorating?' Kol joked.

Cara rolled her eyes.

'No, but I can't seem to find my phone. Maybe it fell behind it.'

Kol suddenly froze. He pulled his hands away from the dresser as if it had burned him

'Why do you need that phone? I thought we agreed it was useless, and that the messages wouldn't do you any good?' Kol rambled.

Cara nodded, staring at him suspiciously. 'We did, but then after this morning, with the mood change, I thought maybe my other self had said something about it to John if she felt things like that too. Maybe I could see them. So I wanted to check.'

She looked at Kol's almost scared face and it hit her.

'Where is my phone?' she demanded, her voice low, threatening.

'I- I don't know, Cara,' Kol stuttered. He knew this would get him into trouble.

'Where. Is. My. Phone. _Kol_.' To put extra power in her words she pushed him a step back with every word.

Kol felt power radiating from Cara and for a moment he was scared to death. He didn't know what exactly what was happening to her, but the power seemed to glow around her. He wasn't even surprised it seemed pink.

'Damon has it,' he said quickly, backing himself into the wall.

All of a sudden the power was gone, and Cara was looking worried.

'What are you doing?' She smiled slowly. 'You are scared of me?'

Kol brushed it off nonchalantly, but his undead heart was still beating fast.

'We'll get back to that later. Why does Damon have my phone?' Cara's voice flattened immediately.

'He made me promise not to tell you.. That was what he was here for this morning. He wanted your phone.'

Cara looked at Kol, he looked tired. He could see this was eating him alive.

Cara growled. 'Damon's going to get it when I see him!' She started to stomp out of the door but Kol stopped her.

'You are not going to be mad at me for not telling you?'

'I know you hate this lying thing, and since I heard you two this morning, I also know Damon forced you. I just couldn't figure out what he wanted.' She looked around the room. 'Why would he want my phone?' she mused out loud.

When Kol started to stutter she smiled at him. 'I was just talking to myself. But don't worry, I will find out.'

Cara hoped this would relieve Kol, but it didn't. Whatever Damon was doing, Kol really didn't agree.

'So,' Cara said, 'what was with the scaredy-cat act?'

Before Kol could reply some lame excuse, his phone rang. He let out a long breath and quickly picked up.

'Elijah! I totally forgot the time! I was… dealing with something. I will be there in a sec!'

He hung up, smiled apologetically at Cara and sped from the room, leaving her there, stunned.

* * *

When Kol reached civilization he slowed his pace to a jogging one. When he got to the Grill he smoothed down his clothes and walked in, easily spotting his older brother.

He walked over and slid into the booth, ordering a glass of bourbon. Elijah raised an eyebrow.

'Isn't a bit early for drinking?'

Kol scowled. 'Not today. I'd say this drink is too late already.'

'What happened?'

Kol told him everything. Damon's visit, the coat, the power radiating from Cara and that he was losing it.

'I can't lie to her, Elijah, even though I promised. Your call saved my day.' Kol took a sip of his drink and spun it around in his hands.

Elijah just stared at his little brother, thoughts racing in his head. He wasn't sure what to think of Damon's idea, it had good and bad sides. Awful sides. He actually chuckled at the coat story. It sounded extremely like Cara. The fact that she knew so much about events that didn't happen, did worry him, though. He was clueless about the power.

'Maybe we should just let that power thing rest for a while,' Elijah suggested. 'See if it happens more often and what triggers it. Maybe it was just a one-time thing.'

Elijah seemed calm on the outside, but Kol knew his brother long enough to see that he was worried. Just like him. He decided to drop it. Elijah would bring it back up when he had figured it out.

He took another sip and sighed.

They fell into light chatter after that and Kol actually enjoyed himself. It was impossible to talk like this with any other of his siblings. When dinner time came close, they said their goodbyes, and Kol headed home to apologize to Cara.

When he arrived, he quickly noticed Cara wasn't there. He quickly searched the mansion, but she didn't leave a note about her whereabouts.

He rolled his eyes. Why did he even look for a note? Of course he knew where she was. He spun around quickly and headed for the Salvatore boarding house.

* * *

Kol had left 15 minutes ago, and Cara decided she was going to take matters into her own hands. Kol couldn't tell her, she accepted that. The fact that Damon hid something apparently big from her, she did not.

She went down, grabbed the coat and walked out, on her way to see Damon. And if he wasn't home, she would wait for him.

When she arrived she didn't bother to knock. She flung open the door and walked in. She bumped into some woman who was leaving, and she saw a startled Damon.

'Kol told you?' Damon growled.

'Told me what?' Cara challenged. 'He only told me you made him promise NOT to tell me, AFTER I couldn't find my phone. Did you really expect I wouldn't come find you afterwards?'

Stefan chuckled in the background. 'I told you she wouldn't take it well, Damon!'

Cara rolled her eyes. 'Shut it Stefan.' She turned back to Damon. 'Now, where is my phone, and what did you want with it?'

Damon looked torn.

'Damon, either tell her and go on with it, or back out now,' Kol said through clenched teeth.

Cara spun around. 'KOL! What are you doing here? How did you know where to find me?'

Kol chuckled. 'Oh, come on now, darling. It wasn't that hard to figure out. And as to why I am here, I need to make sure Damon doesn't do anything stupid.' He shot a glare to Damon and Damon cringed a little.

'I know you don't agree, but-' Damon started.

'Of course I don't agree! You really think this is going to help her?' Kol cut him off.

They shouted back and forth and Stefan just looked at them, a sad look in his eyes when Cara caught them. Cara was trembling with rage.

'HER is right here, you know! She can speak for herself!' She stepped towards them and looked from the one to the other, seeing them stumble back, just like Kol had this morning. Even Stefan looked startled. _What the hell? _She shrugged it off. She was too angry.

'I think I can decide for the best if this thing you're talking about is any good to me. So, where is my phone?' She barely raised her voice this time, and yet Kol nudged Damon to go get it.

Damon scurried off to the table and returned with her phone, fear and confusion clear in his eyes.

When Cara saw her phone she calmed down.

'Now, what did you need it for?' Cara asked, trying to stop the trembling.

Kol was the first to recover. 'Damon, you can still back out… Please don't do this!'

Cara was surprised. Kol was actually begging for Damon not to go through with this.

Damon blinked and shook his head. 'I've come too far to back out now. Cara, you might want to sit down for this.' He gestured to the couch and Kol snorted.

Cara shook her head. 'I am just fine right here.'

Damon sighed. 'Fine, then.' He took a deep breath and offered Cara her phone back.

Kol stared at it with a pure look of disgust and hate. He could not believe Damon was going through with this.

'I got a witch to look at your phone. We were right, you are living in two different worlds at the same time, even though your old self has no idea of you. The emotions you felt this morning are part of the connection.'

Cara took her phone, and looked at it.

'Why couldn't I know that a witch was checking that out?'

When Damon hesitated Kol growled and spat it out venomously.

'You couldn't know because this fool got the witch to get this phone to work again.'

Cara gasped and almost dropped the phone.

'What do you mean, to get it to work again?'

'It means you can call home, Cara,' Damon smiled softly.

Cara looked from Damon's gentle face, to Kol's disgusted one while processing what he had just told her. Then everything went black and she fell down.


	43. Home Is Where The Heart Is

**Hey everyone! **

**I think I held my promise of 3 weeks, right? I'm proud of me. I 'only' got three reviews, but they made me extremely happy. I was glad to see you all were anxious to know what would happen next!**

**So, here we go... I hope you enjoy! And pleeease, leave reviews! They make it so much more fun to write! Plus, I like to hear your thoughts and theories about the story!**

**Enjoy! -hopefully-**

* * *

**Home is where the heart is**

Cara opened her eyes slowly. Her vision was still a bit blurry, but her ears were working perfectly fine. She heard Damon and Kol yelling against each other. She wanted to roll her eyes, but it only hurt.

'Cara?'

Slowly Cara moved her head to the side. Stefan was sitting on the table, looking at her worriedly. At least they had the decency to put her on the couch before getting into their fight.

Cara tried to get up, but her head was pounding. Of course it was. She just hit the floor like a rock. She scowled mentally. Fainting in a room with three vampires. You'd think one of them would at least catch you before you'd hit the floor.

Stefan gently pushed her back. 'You need to rest. You fell hard. I was too caught up in what was happening I didn't see you fall.. I was too late to catch you, I'm sorry for that.'

Cara managed a weak smile. Maybe Stefan wasn't so bad after all. She rolled her head back and closed her eyes. The darkness soothed her head.

'Aspirin?' Cara croaked. She didn't even try for a full sentence.

Stefan quickly got up. 'I'm so sorry, I'll go get one right away!'

He hurried away and immediately got questioned by the people who were supposed to love her the most. Yet there they were, arguing, while Stefan was watching over her.

'She's awake?!' Cara heard Kol shout. She barely had time to sigh when Kol came bursting in. Cara flinched at the loud noise. Was he really that stupid?

'Cara! Are you okay!?' he gushed while he rushed to her side. Now she did sigh. He really was that stupid.

'Kol, could you keep it down?' Stefan said coolly, while he walked back in with the medicine she asked for, accompanied by a glass of water.

Kol eyed the aspirin warily, but nodded. Damon was leaning against the doorway, keeping his distance. And his mouth shut. Cara was eternally grateful.

'I could just feed her my blood,' Kol snapped softly.

'I have the feeling Cara wouldn't appreciate it right now,' Stefan sneered back. He helped Cara to sit up straight, so she could swallow the pill. Cara wanted to chuckle. She could feel the jealousy radiating of the other two vampires in the room.

When she swallowed, and drunk some more of the water, she smiled. 'Thank you, Stefan.' She emphasized his name a little, just to get at Kol.

When Stefan wanted to lay her back down, she stopped him.

'I'd like to sit, if that's okay?'

Stefan nodded, and helped her settle. Kol growled. Why was Stefan being the hero? Certainly he was her boyfriend, not this weird vegetarian creep?

'Kol, stop, being, ridiculous,' Cara breathed. Slowly the head ache was fading. The aspiring was helping incredibly fast. Weird.

'What is wrong with my blood?' Kol demanded.

'Gaah! Nothing is wrong with your blood!'

'Then why did Stefan think you didn't want it?' Kol glared at Stefan.

'Kol, stop it!' Cara ordered, already getting angry. 'Stefan was right in saying no. I didn't want it. I didn't need it. I'm fine. I'm not some porcelain _doll_, that needs to be stuffed with blood every time the surface cracks a little. If you wanted to help, you should've stopped me from hitting the ground.'

Damon snorted, trying to hold back his laughter, and Kol just stared at Cara. Did he really act like that?

He didn't get any time to think about it though, because Cara had turned her rage to Damon.

'Don't you dare laugh, Damon. It's not like you _did_ catch me.'

Damon's face fell in shame. 'I'm sorry..' he muttered.

She looked at Kol, who looked stubbornly ahead. Cara rolled her eyes.

An awkward silence settled over the room and Cara cleared her throat to clear it.

'Could anyone call Caroline for me? I need to talk to her.'

Kol and Damon both grabbed their phones, but Stefan merely smiled warmly. 'I already called her. She will be here within the hour. She had to wrap up some things.'

Kol and Damon scowled and Cara laughed.

'Thanks,' she nodded to Stefan. He just nodded back. 'I shall leave you three to it now. Just, stay strong, Cara, okay?'

Cara nodded, feeling a bit creeped out. This was the overcaring Stefan she knew.

The moment Stefan left the room, Damon took his place on the table.

He held out the phone again. Cara just stared at it. Not sure what to do with it. Before she could make up her mind Kol snatched it out of Damon's hand and threw it on the floor, getting up and ready to stomp on it and break it.

'Don't,' Cara whispered, knowing fully well he could hear her.

His leg stopped in mid-air, and dark eyes filled with anger looked up at her.

Cara had to hold back her laughter. He just looked like an idiot right now, the way he was standing.

'Why? You are not seriously considering of using _this_?' His nose wrinkled in disgust as he put his foot down slowly, next to the phone.

'I'm not sure yet. I need to think about this, Kol… I get why you don't want me using it, you're too scared to lose me, but to not even letting me decide for myself, that's just wrong…' Cara shook her head and looked at Damon.

'And you! You had no right to do this without telling me! I know I came here to ask for it myself, but you just dropped it on me! That's just as wrong!'

She took a deep breath. 'What is wrong with you? I'm perfectly capable to make my own decisions. Stop trying to make them for me!'

Damon nodded. 'You're right. I'm sorry. I just thought it would do you good to know they were doing alright.'

'I know,' Cara began, 'but what good would it do me? I don't know when my other me is not there. What if I call when I am basically sitting next to them on the couch? Talk about awkward.'

'That would be majorly awkward.'

Cara piped up at hearing Caroline's voice. It's been way too long.

'I know right! So I don't know if this is a good idea. But I won't write it off just yet. I might be able to call John, and tell him. He could help me.'

'That son of bitch?' Kol spat. 'I thought you broke up with him?'

'Indeed, I _thought_ so! I have no proof! But whatever happened, he is the only one I actually _have _ to call! Remember how all alone I was?' Cara spat right back at him.

She took a deep breath and calmed herself, ignoring Caroline's raised eyebrows.

'Now leave. I want to talk to Caroline. _Alone_.' Cara was surprised to see both Damon and Kol scurried from the room. Seriously, what was up with them today?

'Well,' Caroline started, 'I have an idea..'

'Did I say that out loud?'

Caroline laughed a bit nervously. 'Yeah, you did.'

Cara raised her eyebrows and Caroline cleared her throat, looking uncomfortable.

Caroline walked over to the chair and sat down while sighing.

'You were, ehm, kind of glowing, just now. When you were yelling…'

'Glowing?' Cara asked puzzled.

'Yeah, there was this pink like glow around you. I felt a wave of power radiating from it. You scared the hell out of me, Cara!'

Cara opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but no sounds were coming out.

'Caroline, I know you have your pride, but I need you to answer this question truthfully,' Cara said finally, very calm.

Caroline nodded. 'Sure.'

'Were you afraid of me? Like, really terrified? Like, wanting to back away as far as you could?'

Caroline's eyes grew bigger. 'That's exactly how I felt! How did you know?'

Cara sighed and looked down. 'That's how Kol and Damon reacted earlier today…'

A tear fell down her cheek.

'Why can't I just lead a normal life, Caroline? Why does there always have to be something that screws it up? Why is this happening to me?'

By now Cara was sobbing, and Caroline came over, cradling Cara against her chest.


	44. We Will Not Break

**Hello everyone!**

**First off: Welcome to my new reader! Glad you like my story, and don't forget to leave a review from now on, haha :)**

**Second: Stefan. I can't win with him, haha. If I don't write him, I get 'blamed' and if do, he is OOC. Which is probably his. I am sorry for that, I just can't write Stefan. He is really one of the characters I despise the most, to be honest, so it is probably inevitable I write him like I see him. I hope you can forgive me!**

**Third: I'm glad to be back and writing! The reviews make me smile, and I can never get enough of them! Why don't we try and see if I can get 5 reviews? If you make it, I will make sure another chapter is up within the next 24 hours. I have to work early tomorrow, so I can't promise it will be up today ;).**

**Fourth: Please don't hate me. Yes, he will probably be OOC as well, but that's the plan. I like his actor so much more, that I incorporated him into the TVD character :)**

**So, the challenge is set!**

**I hope you will enjoy this chapter! **

* * *

**We Will Not Break ...**

Kol was pacing back and forth, while Damon was staring at the fire place with a drink in his hand.

'Wants to call John… of all people, why should he have the honor?' Kol muttered through gritted teeth. 'The bastard doesn't deserve that after all that he's done!'

Damon just shook his head and ignored Kol. He was still kicking himself mentally for not reacting in time to prevent Cara from hitting the ground. He understood why Cara didn't want to drink the blood, even if Kol didn't. But it wasn't his place to explain it.

He was sure that Cara hated being fragile right now. Especially since he knew for a fact she was still scared that Kol won't like it. At first it was because she was scared Kol would leave her. Now, Damon had the feeling she was scared of being changed into a vampire without her consent. If she was so weak, killing her wouldn't even be a challenge…

Damon shook his head. He would make sure Kol wouldn't do that to Cara. Not without her agreeing.

Kol was still raging, and the fact that Damon just stood there calmly didn't help either. He didn't know what to do. Staying here wasn't an option, but neither was leaving. For a moment he cursed Cara for having such an impact on him, and himself for letting her.

Then he felt disgusted for even thinking that, and he let out a cry of frustration, which got him raised eyebrows from Damon. Kol glared at him venomously and went back to his pacing, focusing on what Caroline and Cara were talking about. Maybe not the most respectable thing to do, but he was sure Damon was listening in as well. Plus, they were vampires. Did Cara really expect them not to eaves-drop?

* * *

Cara had calmed down, and while Caroline was blabbing about her life, Cara's mind was racing. A pinkish glow? In any other situation she would have laughed at this. Right now, it seemed more scary than funny. Luckily Caroline wasn't scared of her anymore, or so she said. It made no sense, though. Cara herself was terrified. She had no clue what that pink glow meant, and what they would do to her and the ones around her. She needed to figure this out. And fast.

* * *

A few days had passed, and everyone was on edge, and Cara was getting enough of it. Everyone around her was walking on egg shells around her, trying their best not to upset her in any way. They were terrified, and some of them were even avoiding her. Which upset her. Cara rolled her eyes. They were so going at it the wrong way.

Rebekah was the only one who was there for her. Caroline sent a lot of texts, but never actually showed up. Cara felt like she was home again, with only one friend to lean on to. Even Kol was always out. He said he was looking for answers with Elijah, and he probably was, but still it felt to Cara like he was making sure not to be around her.

'Cara, what did I tell you about not thinking too much! Right now it's not good for you!' Rebekah scolded.

Cara huffed. 'What else is there to do but think? My life was finally turning somewhat to normal, and now this has to happen?' She threw her hands in the air. 'I didn't ask for this! And yet everyone is treating me like a time-bomb!'

Rebekah gave her a pitiful smile. 'I know, sweetie. I have been trying to talk some sense into my brothers… But you know them too. They won't budge. They are focused on finding out what this is.' Rebekah gave a small laugh. 'Or at least Elijah is. Kol just runs along, haha.'

Cara laughed. Rebekah was right. Elijah was the composed one, whenever they came over. Kol just… wasn't. And Klaus. Well. He tried to be all grown up about it, but he was basically just laughing at everyone for being scared. Maybe she should dig up some reasons why she was mad at him during the show. Show him why they are all afraid.

But what if he got scared too? Then she would lose his relatively normal presence too. Cara figured it was not worth the risk. Besides, it was quite amusing to see Klaus talking all of them down, in that gorgeous accent of his.

Cara got pulled out of her thoughts by a knock on the door. Rebekah immediately stopped talking, which she apparently was doing, and eyed the door suspiciously.

Cara rolled her eyes and got up. If Rebekah wasn't going to open it, she would.

'Cara! Be careful!' Rebekah yelled after her.

Cara raised an eyebrow.

'Why?'

'No one ever knocks here, you know that.'

Cara thought about that for a second and shrugged. Maybe if this person did mean her harm, and killed her, at least they would find out if she could die. Right now, she couldn't care less if she died. At least the loneliness would be gone.

She took a breath and opened the door.

Before she could register what was happening she got crushed in a pleasant way by two big, strong arms.

Cara squealed and Rebekah was there in an instant, ready to attack. But she just laughed when she saw what was going on.

'Hello there, little Gilbert. You sure know how to make an entrance.'

Slowly the arms around Cara released their grip, and Cara could finally see Jeremy's happy face.

She smacked him across the chest. It only made him laugh more.

'What are you doing here? Surely Elena doesn't approve. I mean, I could be dangerous. Lethal.'

Jeremy smirked.

'Elena isn't all too happy I'm here, but I made sure Kol wouldn't be around. That settled her doubts.'

Cara raised an eyebrow. 'Why is it better if Kol isn't here?'

Jeremy cocked his head to the left.

'Don't tell me you haven't noticed he is incredibly jealous?'

Cara shrugged. 'Well, yeah, he is. But why would he be jealous of you?'

'Isn't it obvious? We clicked immediately. Hit it off like long lost lovers,' Jeremy explained dramatically, with all of the necessary arm movements.

Rebekah laughed. 'He's got a point, Cara. Kol does not like seeing him around you. Plus, it creeps him out how you pictured them together.'

Cara laughed. She looked at Jeremy. 'Do you feel that way too?'

Jeremy shrugged. 'Sure, it's weird, but like you said, that was based on those lame-ass rip-off characters of us. We are way cooler, and no way I could ever be held for gay!' He showed his muscles to prove his words.

Cara just raised an eyebrow, and smiled slyly.

Rebekah fell into a fit of laughter and left the house. She wasn't needed anymore.

Jeremy just looked at Cara. 'Oh no you did _not _ just suggest that!'

Cara shrugged. 'Maybe I did, maybe I didn't.'

Jeremy gave her a playful glare. 'So. What are we going to do?'

'What do you mean? You came here! Aren't you supposed to have a plan?'

Jeremy shrugged. 'Maybe. But I just wanted to see you. I don't get what the fuss is all about.' He took her hand, and pulled her close, faces inches apart. His voice dropped to a whisper. 'And surely you love me too much to ever hurt me.' His lips twitched into a smirk and his eyes glowed playfully.

Slowly, Cara traced her other hand over his chest. 'Oh, way too much,' she whispered just as seductively.

A door slammed shut, and Cara and Jeremy jumped in surprise. Cara's heart was racing. Gosh, she hated jump-scares.

'Oh, no, don't stop on my account,' Klaus velvety voice drifted over as he walked by, with a glint in his eyes.

Cara rolled her eyes, catching her breath.

'Oh please, Klaus. Don't start.'

Klaus threw his hands up, while trying to look innocent.

'If there was nothing going on, then why can't I tell Kol about this little get-together?'

'Because he will read more into it! Even if we had videotaped it, and he saw that we were just having fun, then _still_ he would be mad at Jeremy. Which is nonsense. But, suit yourself.'

Right now, Cara really didn't care. Kol was pissing her off just as much as the rest was. She would rub all of this in his face if she had to.

Klaus was surprised to hear she didn't care. She meant it, too, to top it off. If Klaus was honest, he had the feeling that there was more going on, but he only heard part of their conversation. Who knows what came before that? He shrugged. Not his problem. He tried to protect Cara once, and that didn't work out so well for him.

'Anyway,' he started, eyeing Jeremy closely. He saw Cara rolling her eyes. She was way too good at reading him. 'Will Jeremy be staying for dinner?' He wiggled his eyebrows.

Jeremy's eyes lit up. 'That's it! That's what we could do! We could go grab dinner and see some awful kid's movie!'

Klaus wanted to say Cara wouldn't ever watch a kid's movie, but he saw her eyes growing with excitement fast.

Cara jumped up and down. 'OH MY GOD YES! Do you have the Despicable Me DVD? I can't get enough of that movie!'

Klaus was dumbfounded. This was a side of Cara he had never seen before, and he was sure Kol hadn't either. Klaus could almost see Kol's disgusted face at even the suggestion of an animated movie.

Jeremy looked puzzled. 'I never actually saw that one. Isn't that the one with the yellow thingies?'

Klaus didn't know it was possible, but Cara's face lit up even more.

'You haven't seen it yet?!' she gushed. 'Awesome! It's so much more fun to watch it with someone who hasn't just yet! We need to find it somewhere!'

As they were making their plans and Cara was putting on her coat, Klaus smirked at Cara's coat. Kol had told him all about it, and it just suited her so well.

Before Klaus could say anything else, Cara yelled at him: 'Bye, Klaus! Don't wait up!'

Giggling she closed the door behind her. She hooked her arm through Jeremy's, and away they went.


	45. but we might bend

**Hey guys!**

**So we didn't make the 5 reviews. Ah well. Still happy with the ones I ****_did_**** get :D. I always thought it would be boring if I wrote more detailed, but apparently you like it! So, hope I can satisfy with that :).**

**I also fixed the grammar mistakes in the last chapter. I am sorry they were there in the first place. **

**So... I hope you like this chapter! And once again, please review! It helps to know what you think of the story!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**… But we might bend**

Cara couldn't get over the fact at how normal this all felt. Sure, it had gone easy with Damon and Kol as well, but still… There had always been that bit of tension that comes when you're together with the person you like or love.

Plus, the fact that Jeremy wasn't afraid of her… Definitely a big advantage.

A cold wind blew over and Cara snuggled against Jeremy, who put his arm around her. What was it with boys and always being warm? She herself was an ice cube come alive. She was grateful for the warmth though.

'So, where do you want to go for dinner?' Jeremy's voice interrupted her thoughts.

'Well. Isn't the Grill like the only place this crappy town has?'

Jeremy laughed. Cara loved the sound. The people in this town didn't laugh nearly enough. She cherished every laugh of Kol's, there were so few of them. It was a breath of fresh air to be around someone who _did_ know how to laugh.

'Yeah, you have a point there.' Jeremy looked up at the sky. 'I think it's going to rain, we should head-'

It started raining. Like hell had just broken loose. Within seconds they were drenched.

Jeremy sighed. 'Guess there is no more hurry.'

Cara laughed and spun around. She loved rain. She couldn't help it. Sure it was cold, but since the rain started, she couldn't care less.

Jeremy watched Cara dance through the rain. He shook his head. This girl could totally classify for a mental institution. He loved it. She still knew how to have fun.

'So, yeah, when you're done dancing in the rain,' Jeremy said casually, waving to the Grill, 'could we go like have dinner? I am actually hungry.'

Cara stuck her tongue out at him, spun one last time, and skipped towards Jeremy. She took her hand and dragged him to the Grill.

'I am so hungry, what took you so long!' she scolded him.

Jeremy gaped at her and pulled her back. Once again they were inches apart, rain streaming down their faces.

'I, made you wait?' Jeremy tried his best to make his voice sound dangerous, but he just couldn't. Cara's face lit up and she nodded.  
'Yes! I was waiting for you to call me back. You didn't.'

Jeremy shook his head. This girl was impossible. Suddenly Cara started to giggle uncontrollably. He raised his eyebrows. What now?

'This must be looking so cliché!' Cara laughed. 'A girl and a boy, in the rain, standing so close… Surely a kiss must come after this. It's meant to be. It's written in the stars! Even if we can't see them right now,' Cara gushed dramatically.

Jeremy didn't know what to say. This was Cara. He had learned by now she was the most unpredictable person alive. Before he could make up his mind though, she planted a quick kiss at the corner of his mouth.

'THE END!' Cara yelled, while spinning again. She took his hand. 'Now we must run to the diner, while the camera fades out.'

Jeremy's face broke into a grin, he couldn't help it.

* * *

'Easy now, Kol,' Elijah warned him.

For days they had been searching for answers now, and still nothing. They had a lead on a witch now, who maybe knew, but it was their last shot. Kol wanted to go straight to her, but Elijah thought it would be best to tell Cara first. He had heard from Rebekah that Cara was seriously pissed, and well, he couldn't blame her.

So, here they were. Back in Mystic Falls, on their way to Cara. They were walking in silence, when Kol froze. Immediately Elijah had focused on his hearing. Sure enough, Cara's voice drifted to them. Followed by Jeremy's. Elijah couldn't help but smile, he was just too glad Cara had found a friend in all of this, but Kol obviously didn't appreciate it.

'They're going out to _dinner_?' Before Elijah could stop him Kol had rushed to the sound, and had followed them all the way to the Grill. Elijah could almost see the jealousy rushing off Kol, in big green waves.

Elijah shook his head. If only it had stopped there. Of course Kol had to see the scene that unfolded in front of the Grill. It was obvious to any stranger that these two were just friends, having heaps of fun. They were almost shouting their dramatic words. Kol was oblivious, as always. He just stood there, shaking, with his hands clenched into fists.

Then Cara started talking about that kiss, and Elijah's heart filled with joy for their friendship, but at the same time it filled itself with dread of Kol's response.

'She wouldn't!' Kol hissed.

Elijah already knew she would, so when Cara quickly kissed Jeremy, his arms were around Kol in an instant, not allowing him to go over there and kill Jeremy.

'_Easy_?' Kol growled, breaking free from Elijah's grip and turning around to face him. 'She just kissed him! For the whole world to see!'

'That was hardly a kiss, brother, and you know it. She didn't even touch his lips.' Elijah shook his head. 'You didn't hear a word of what they were saying, did you?'

Kol said nothing. He just glared at Elijah. He couldn't understand why his brother was defending Cara. If he had heard what they were saying… Of course not! But his eyes told him plenty. He focused everything into anger. That was much easier to handle than being hurt.

He was going in there.

* * *

'So, you dating now?' Matt joked as Cara and Jeremy wanted to order.

'No, dude. I am just her rescuer,' Jeremy said.

'Yes! I was so lonely and I was about to die of boredom, when he came along and swooped me out of it!' Cara gushed.

'Exactly,' Jeremy finished.

'Sure. Whatever you say,' Matt laughed. He took their orders and promised it would be out soon. He also promised to bring some towels.

The towels came first, and both of them dried of their faces. The rest was unsalvageable. It needed cleaning and they needed showers. They decided to just leave it.

When their food came, Cara eyed Jeremy's plate of fries suspiciously.

'What's that?' She poked into it with one of her own fries.

'These, my friend, are cheese fries,' Jeremy announced.

'They have cheese fries here!?' Cara exclaimed. She quickly pulled the plate close to her. 'I have always wanted to try these!'

Jeremy pouted. 'But those are mine!'

Cara shrugged. 'Not anymore they aren't.' She popped one into her mouth and moaned. This was the good life. 'You can have mine.' She shoved her plate over to Jeremy.

'Matt!' Jeremy called out. Matt scurried over. 'SHE STOLE MY FRIES!'

Matt burst out laughing. Both of their faces were priceless.

'I'll go get you another one. Then you both have your precious cheese fries.'

Jeremy smiled a bright smile and Matt walked off, trying to remember when Jeremy had been this happy.

His good mood vanished the moment he went back with another plate of the fries.

'I'll take those back,' a cold, familiar voice said, while snatching the plate out of his hands.

He registered it was Kol only when Elijah mumbled a sorry and went after his little brother.

Kol dropped the fries on the table.

'Anything else?'

Cara's head snapped up at hearing Kol's cold voice. Jeremy took that moment to hit her in the face with one of the fries.

'Oh no, you didn't!' Cara yelled while throwing a handful back herself. She smirked satisfied as Jeremy got covered in fries. The normal ones, obviously. No way she was going to waste her beautiful cheese ones.

'Cara?'

Cara heard the dangerous tone in Kol's voice and slowly she looked up at him. He was raging. What got him in such a fuss this time? Maybe he saw her little scene with Jeremy outside. She casually picked up one of her fries and flicked it into his face.

'Oops,' she deadpanned.

His eyes flashed with anger. Kol focused his look on the boy, who was laughing so hard at Cara's comment, that his drink almost came back out.

'What are you doing here?'

Jeremy's laughter died down. A cold look came onto his face as he said coolly: 'I'm having dinner. Can't you see?'

'I meant, what are you doing here with _Cara_,' Kol rephrased just as coolly.

'I was hungry too,' Cara interfered. 'And I was having a perfectly amazing time, until you decided your jealousy is more important than my happiness.'

'Your happiness?' Kol spat. 'So, what? You're saying you're not happy with me anymore?'

Cara rolled her eyes. 'I never said that! But, you weren't really around the past few days, so in that aspect, no, I wasn't really happy.'

'Don't pin this on me!' Kol yelled. 'That I was trying to find some answers, does _not _give you right to go around and kiss other men!'

Cara laughed. She couldn't help herself. This was just too hilarious.

'That was barely a kiss, you idiot! We were having fun! Jeeeeeez.' Cara shook her head. She had had enough of his jealousy-act. It had gotten old fast.

Kol focused on Jeremy again, who was enjoying himself way too much, according to Kol.

'You seemed to be enjoying it.'

'Like Cara said, we were having fun.' Jeremy looked at Cara, who clearly gave him the green light to push a little further. 'Plus, who wouldn't enjoy getting a kiss from a gorgeous girl?' Jeremy smirked.

Kol lost it. How dared this little boy defy him? Didn't he know he could kill him within the blink of an eye?

Cara saw Kol's posture change, and the rage that had been boiling just underneath the surface came out, all at once. This time she felt the glow, and she felt powerful.

'Don't. You. Dare. Hurt. Him.' Cara growled softly. 'Or I will make you wish you hadn't.'

Kol quickly transformed into the scared creature he always became when she was like this. Vaguely, she heard Elijah warning Jeremy. She looked over, and saw to her disappointment that he got up.

He then walked over to her, and stood next to her. He took her hand, gave a little squeeze, and smiled at her. A smile that told her it was okay to calm down. That nothing would happen. And most of all, a smile that told her he wasn't afraid.

She smiled back and calmed herself down again. She was still mad as hell, but the glow was gone. Kol just stared at her, in disgust and wonder. She let go of Jeremy's hand and walked up to Kol, until they were very close.

'I meant what I said. If you ever hurt Jeremy, you _will_ regret it,' she threatened.

'So what now?' Kol spat. Cara already saw the hurt flashing in his eyes. The baby felt like she choose Jeremy over him. Gosh, he was so childish sometimes.

'What happens now, is that I will finish my dinner. After that me and Jeremy will be watching a movie. In the living room of the mansion. I'm gonna make Klaus watch the movie, and I'm sure Rebekah will want to watch too. It's up to you what you are going to do. You can watch with us if you want. Just try not to ruin the rest of the evening for all of us, okay?'

She turned to look at Elijah. 'You are welcome to watch with us,' she beamed. She couldn't be mad at Elijah. 'We will be watching a masterpiece. A classic. Don't ask Klaus though. He would call it an abomination of the arts.'

Elijah chuckled. 'I'll see what I can do,' he said, eying Kol. Who huffed.

Elijah gave another apologetic smile, and dragged Kol out with him.


	46. Gotta Secret (?)

**I am so sorry this took so long, and yet this is the first chance I got to write this! So, I hope you will enjoy it anyway, and won't hate me for the events to come..**

* * *

**Gotta Secret (?)**

The moment Kol was gone, Cara let out a huge sigh. She stuck a fry in her mouth and shoved her plate away. She had lost her appetite. She regretted the things she said immediately, but she couldn't help herself. His act of jealousy was just too annoying.

'Are you okay?' Jeremy asked with a concerned look on his face.

Cara gave him a hesitant smile.

'I might have been a little hard on him…' She dropped her head in her hands. 'This is all my fault! I should've known better! It's just… the being locked into the house, everyone being scared of me…'

'Cara…' Jeremy began. 'Cara, look at me.' Cara looked up, and saw his warm eyes staring into hers. 'Good. Now, this is not on you. You both made mistakes, and you will work it out, I'm sure.'

Jeremy hesitated a bit, and Cara raised an eyebrow.

'You really do love him, don't you?'

Cara smiled. 'I do. It might not be the best thing for me in the end, but he makes me happy. Even if I just said he didn't.' She threw her head back in her hands. 'I screwed up. I ruined everything. He will never forgive me.'

Jeremy felt gutted for Cara. Sure, it hurt when she said she loved him, but he couldn't blame her for that. That was all on him. He could even understand Kol's response, even if it was a bit over the top. He wouldn't like to share a girl like Cara either.

But, right now Cara needed him. He needed to say the words she needed to hear right now, be the best friend he could be.

'You should go talk to him. Apologize for your behavior. Chances are that he will apologize in return. Maybe you could find a way to try and avoid this, and everything will be fine again.' He gave her a warm smile.

Cara looked up. 'You really think he would accept my apology?'

Jeremy nodded. At least he sure did hope so.

'Thanks, Jer… But avoiding situations like this would mean I couldn't be around you anymore, and that just ain't gonna happen.'

Jeremy smiled. 'I'm sure you will work it out. I'm just glad to hear you wouldn't just abandon me.'

'I would never do that! Friends don't let other friends down! That's the basic concept of friends.'

Jeremy chuckled. 'So, here's the plan: I walk you home, make sure you are inside. I will find that DVD somewhere, and in the mean time you can talk to Kol. Hopefully when I get back, everything will be solved.'

'How are you so sure he will let you back in?' Cara mused.

'Because you won't let him keep me out. Plus, I have the DVD, and I am sure no one can wait any longer to see this masterpiece.' He air- quoted the word masterpiece.

Cara stuck her tongue out. 'Fine, shall we go then?'

Jeremy nodded, stood up, paid, and led her back out.

'I also suggest you shower before you come back,' Cara laughed. 'Wouldn't want to push Kol any further by letting you shower at the mansion.'

'That probably is a good idea,' Jeremy laughed.

They walked all the way in silence, and Jeremy noticed Cara was nervous. It was all over her face. She felt miserable, and was scared Kol wouldn't accept her apology. But of course he would. No matter how much Jeremy didn't like Kol, he had to admit, the guy was crazy about Cara.

Jeremy squeezed Cara's hand shortly, for courage. She smiled up at him, looking tired.

* * *

Kol heard them coming. He looked out of his window, and saw them coming up to the door. At least they weren't touching. He was still mad at as hell. Not so much at Cara anymore, she was just being herself. But the Gilbert boy! He should have had more sense as to defy an Original! The boy let Cara get close, even though he knew she was taken. Just seeing them walking up together made Kol tremble all over again. And soon he would be in _his_ house, watching some movie with _his _family!

They were at the door now, and Cara hugged Jeremy tightly, murmuring something to Jeremy. When they let go, Cara quickly pecked Jeremy on the cheek and told him to be back soon.

Kol blocked out the kiss, and only picked up the part where Jeremy promised to be back soon. Wasn't he supposed to stay and watch the movie with the rest of them?

He took this opportunity with both hands though. He waited until Cara was inside, before he jumped out of the window, and shadowed Jeremy until they were out of view.

Once they were, he flashed himself in front of the boy.

'Jeez, Kol! Couldn't you just call out for me?' Jeremy said irritated.

Kol smirked. 'I could have, but the effect wouldn't nearly be as dramatic, now would it?'

Jeremy rolled his eyes. He could see Kol was livid. He should be more careful, he knew that.

'So, Kol…' he started out carefully. 'Why aren't you at the mansion? Cara is probably looking for you, she wanted to talk to you.'

'Does she now? Do I want to hear what she has to say?'

Jeremy was astonished. If this was Kol being hurt, he could understand why all of his siblings were so scared of him. He became ruthless. Emotionless, even if his emotions were still on. Or at least he thought they were still on.

'Why wouldn't you?' Jeremy was honestly confused.

'Well, if she wants to talk about how you are so much more fun and all, then I don't want to hear it,' Kol drawled, while inching closer.

'But, I think I found my solution…' Kol whispered dangerously into Jeremy's ear. He could feel the boy tremble. Good, he was scared.

Kol slowly pulled back, grazing his fangs against Jeremy's neck, puncturing the skin.

Jeremy flinched against better judgment. He knew that it was exactly what Kol wanted. But he couldn't help himself.

Kol examined the boy, who stood paralyzed. The boy was probably hoping that out of love for Cara he wouldn't truly get hurt. He was wrong. He had just one more thing to ask.

'If I would, let's say, kindly ask of you, to stay away from Cara, would you do it?'

Jeremy looked at Kol. He knew what Kol wanted to hear, but he just couldn't betray Cara like that. Not after the way she stood up for him.

'No, I wouldn't. She is my friend, probably my best friend. I can't just leave her,' Jeremy said confidently. Or with as much confidence as he could manage.

Kol slowly smirked. Just like he imagined the answer to be. How good of him. The boy should've been smart though. Emotions usually got you killed. This was just another one of those examples.

Before Jeremy could run or do anything, Kol snapped his neck and let him fall to the ground. He gave Jeremy one last glance before walking away, while whistling. One less problem to worry over.

* * *

As Kol walked up to the mansion, he got greeted by a manic Cara.

'Where were you!? None of us knew where you are, and I just really need to talk to you!'

'I was out for a bit, but that doesn't matter. Shall we go to my room to talk?' Kol answered smoothly. Cara would surely forgive him in the end, but right now didn't seem the best time to break the news.

Cara shrugged and almost ran up the stairs. She just hoped he would forgive her.

When Kol closed the door behind him, Cara fell to her knees and started pleading immediately. She knew she had to go over the top with this, to please Kol, just this once.

'Please, Kol! I am so sorry about earlier… I wasn't thinking! I was just mad at all of you for ignoring me and I was just having fun! I shouldn't have said the things I said, or done the things I did… If I could take them back I could!' She struggled to get the words out. She needed to say the things he wanted to hear. It was her only chance, she didn't want to lose him. Not over this!

Kol dropped to his knees as well, and took her face in his hands. 'I'm sorry I was the one who put you in this situation.. I shouldn't have ignored you, that was wrong. I am sure we will get past this.. I just can't stop being mad, just because you apologized, and I am sure it's the same the other way around…'

Cara nodded. He was right. They would need time to get over this, but she was confident they could.

When Kol pulled his hands away, she felt something on her cheek She thought it was a tear, but when she went to brush it off, her hand came back red.

In confusion she stared at her hand, and eyed Kol's hands after that. One of them was smudged with blood. And now that she looked closer, he also had some small bloodstains around his lips.

She sighed. Of course he had to go feed. That's what he did. But the nagging feeling remained. Why would his hand have blood on it? Kol was the most clean killer she had ever met. Not that she had met many, but still.

When she looked into his eyes, she saw a guilty look pas his features.

'What did you do?' Cara asked.

'I was mad, and you know what I do when I am mad. I lose control while feeding and well… end up killing the victim.' Kol muttered.

'I know that,' Cara started, 'but that doesn't explain the blood on your _hand_.'

'I got bored, so I snapped his neck,' Kol explained casually. Or at least he thought he did.

'Who did you kill, Kol?'

Cara stared into his eyes, praying he would tell her the truth at once. Even if he had no idea about who it was.

Kol felt that she needed the truth, and as much as he didn't want to tell her, he felt that if he lied now, it would only get worse.

He took a deep breath. 'Jeremy, Cara,' he breathed.

Cara just stared at him. Something shattered inside her. She didn't feel anything. No hurt, no anger, just emptiness. She stood up and just left.


	47. Hanging by a Thread

**Thank you so much for your reviews! And not only for this chapter, but also for the one before this! I didn't have time to thank you, as my mom was bugging me to shut down the laptop.. **

**It was really fun to see the chapter had the desired effect; to shock you. I loved reading your reactions and I ask you to not stop doing that!**

**There is a slight warning though, this chapter is mostly filler, and a bit of explanation. Not that much happens, in my opinion, but it is still really important. I hope you will still like it! **

**And even though it's hard to read criticism, even if meant well, haha.. Please do! Please tell me what you think, even if it isn't that positive, haha! Might be I find it useful :). **

**So... enjoy!**

* * *

**Hanging by a Thread**

'Cara! Where are you going!?' Kol shouted while running after her.

Cara just kept on walking. She needed to find Jeremy's body. She had to bring it to Elena. It was the right thing to do. She figured Kol killed him somewhere secluded, so she walked to the only secluded place nearby. Behind her she heard Kol yelling at her to stop, begging her, pleading. She didn't care. He could shout until his throat was bloody for all she cared.

Kol knew immediately where she was going. He tried his best to stop her, but he didn't want to force her either. That wouldn't make things better for him. So he tried to persuade her with words, but he started to wonder if she was even listening. He decided to keep his mouth shut, and provide help whenever she needed it.

When they finally arrived at the crime scene, Kol expected Cara to break down, and cry until there were no more tears left. Instead he watched in wonder.

Cara walked up to Jeremy. She glanced him over. Nothing. It used to be her friend, now it was a shell. Nothing to cry about. She closed his eyes and turned around to Kol.

'Carry him,' she demanded in a flat voice.

Kol took a step back when he heard her lifeless voice and eyes.

'Now.'

He quickly walked over the boy, feeling a rush of guilt wash over him. He meant to get rid of a problem. Not cause another one. He'd gladly turn events around, if that meant Cara would be herself again. Right now, she was scaring him. It seemed like her emotions were off. But of course that wasn't possible. She was human. A mere human, he reminded himself. She must be blocking the feelings. They will come out eventually.

He scooped up the boy, and without another word, Cara walked off. Kol didn't even bother to ask where they were going. He was fairly sure he wouldn't get an answer if he did.

Soon he started to recognize the way they were going. They were heading to the Gilbert's house. He should've known. He was still astounded by the way she was handling this. Not a single tear had been shed so far. That doesn't mean she's not hurt, he scolded himself.

They reached the front door, and Elena opened.

'I found that DVD you were talking about, it's right he-'

Elena stared at them. She quickly focused on Jeremy laying in Kol's arms.

'What happened?' Elena demanded of Kol, but before Kol could answer, Cara cut in.

'Not entirely sure, but in the end Kol killed him. Thought you deserved to know, and have to body to pay your respects.'

Cara motioned for Kol to hand over Jeremy to Stefan, who just came up out of nowhere. Kol obliged, muttering an apology he knew Stefan could hear.

Before anyone could say anything Cara turned around and walked away. Kol lingered a bit longer. He felt like he needed to explain things.

'Tell Cara we are grateful for bringing him here,' Elena said, with tears in her eyes, while checking his fingers and sighing a sigh of relief. 'But don't think we are done with you just yet,' she snarled before slamming the door in his face.

Confused Kol let out a deep breath he didn't know he was holding. Elena seemed relieved. Her brother just died, how could she be relieved? How could he himself be still walking around? He shook his head, and decided to catch up with Cara.

* * *

'Cara, honey? Dinner's ready, you coming?'

Cara sat on her bed, staring out of the window, when Rebekah came into her room.

Cara thought about it. She wasn't hungry. She was perfectly fine, right here.

Cara shook her head. 'I'm not hungry.'

'Then at least come downstairs with me. The company will do you good,' Rebekah pleaded. She heard from Kol Jeremy was dead, but that Cara didn't seem to care. She had scoffed when he said that, but now she was seeing with her own eyes.

Cara shrugged and stood up to walk downstairs.

When downstairs, she walked to the living room, and curled up on the couch. She felt everyone staring at her, but she just stared ahead.

'Does this seem normal to you, Nik?' Kol slurred. He had been drinking, and the booze was getting to him.

'No it doesn't. Usually humans get like this after their breakdown, and they tend to cry in periods. You are absolutely sure she didn't shed a tear?'

Kol glared at him. 'I was with her the entire time, until we got back here. I'm sure.'

'Kol is right, Niklaus,' Elijah said gravely.

Both heads snapped his way.

'How would you know?' Klaus demanded.

Elijah set down his drink, and leaned forward, out of his chair, to look into Cara's eyes.

'Cara, how are you feeling?' Elijah asked softly. He saw her lifeless eyes, and did not expect any response from them.

Cara's eyebrows furrowed. Feeling? There was no feeling. Shouldn't there be any feeling? She didn't care. She liked not feeling anything. Less tiring.

'I'm not,' she answered.

'So I figured,' Elijah muttered while leaning back into his chair.

'What do you mean?' Kol and Klaus asked at the same time. Rebekah was just staring at her friend.

'While you were…' Elijah hesitated a moment, 'out, I got a call from the witch we were supposed to visit tonight. She told me she had heard of our questions, and she hoped to reach us before we traveled all the way over there.'

When Kol raised his eyebrows, Elijah continued.

'She didn't want us in her house, but she was willing to help us. So she told me what she knew. She had heard enough from the other witches to find the answers.'

'And…?' Kol said impatiently.

'If you would shut up, Elijah could actually tell us what she told him!' Klaus snapped.

Kol made a face, but remained silent.

'So…' Elijah started again. 'Right now, Cara's emotions are off. Gone, might be the better word.'

Kol opened his mouth but Elijah glared it shut.

'Ever since she got here, all of her feelings and emotions were connected to her other self. Everything she felt, was being borrowed, so to speak, from her other self. They weren't truly hers, only indirectly.'

Elijah took a sip of his drink and continued. 'That doesn't mean she doesn't have any real emotions of herself here. She does. Whenever she felt something her other self could not provide, she created her own feelings here. That resulted in those glows of power.'

When all of them gave him confused looks, Elijah sighed.

'For example, when she was mad at Kol for taking her phone, she was so extremely mad, that the emotions of her other self were not sufficient to portray her anger. So she did that herself. How, the witch did not know.'

Kol couldn't hold his tongue any longer.

'If her feelings from here weren't really from her… Did she… Did she really love me?' His voice was barely a whisper at the end.

Elijah smiled warmly. 'She did. Or does. No way to tell now. But she did really love you, she just borrowed those emotions from her other self. I know this is confusing, but all she felt here was real. She just didn't make the emotions herself, so to speak.'

'But, if she is connected to that other version of her, why is she emotionless now?' Klaus asked.

Elijah looked down. 'Before I hung up, the witch warned me. She said that the connection could be broken. And if it were to break, she would have no access to the feelings, leaving her emotionless.' Elijah took a deep breath. 'I asked her what would cause such a thing. She said it had to be something traumatic, like getting her heart broken. At the moment I could only think of her and Kol breaking up, and I knew that would never happen, so I reassured her that would never happen. She said that was a good thing, because if it were to happen she said, she wouldn't be able to help us to get her emotions back. And like she said, she also didn't know how to create the feelings.'

Elijah looked up at Kol. 'The connection broke the moment she found out you killed Jeremy. If it was his death, your killing, or both, that caused it, we do not know, but I don't suppose it really matters now.'

He looked over at Cara, who was just staring at them, one by one, still with those lifeless eyes. He didn't think any of this made sense to her, or if she had even been listening.

Kol sank to his knees. Cara was gone. He had known it from the moment he looked into her eyes when they found Jeremy. He had just refused to believe it until now. She was gone, and she might never come back. And it was all his fault.


	48. Snuff

**Thank you for all of the reviews! I appreciate it so much! Please keep them coming :D!**

**So... This chapter. It's a whole lot longer than usual. It's basically two chapters in one, as a little present, for not updating in a while. My life has just been hectic, and this week I finally have time to get some rest before it all starts back up again. So I will try to update soon, but I am very curious right now to see your reactions!**

**I'm fairly certain not everyone will like this chapter, but it feels right to me. And so does the song. I included the entire lyrics, leaving anything out felt wrong. If you are interested in hearing the song to go with the lyrics, you should look up ****_Snuff _****by ****_Slipknot_****. I know the band name will give chills to some, but trust me, this song is really calm. **

**I hope you will enjoy, and that you won't hate me, hahah!**

* * *

**Snuff**

Suddenly Rebekah piped up. She wiped the tears from her face and looked at Kol. 'Are you sure Jeremy is dead?'

Kol's head snapped up and he glared daggers at his sister.

'Of course I am sure he is dead! I snapped his neck. When we came back later he still lay there.'

Rebekah rolled her eyes. Whatever she said right now wouldn't make things better. Kol wouldn't listen anyway.

* * *

Kol was pacing back and forth. 10 days had passed. 10 whole days. And nothing had changed. He had tried everything. Yelling, pleading, threatening… he even cried! Nothing moved her. She had just stared at him. Kol couldn't take it anymore. He watched through the door opening, staring at Cara sitting at the kitchen counter, with Rebekah staring into her eyes. He could easily see his sister's eyes were teared up, just like every other time. He knew Rebekah hated compelling Cara, but they all agreed Cara would forgive Rebekah the soonest if she ever got her emotions back.

Kol whirled around and stormed out of the house. A maniacal laugh escaped his throat. He was going mad. They had to compel her! It was ridiculous, yet necessary. If they didn't Cara would starve to death. She refused to eat, said she didn't feel hungry. Same goes for drinking. It was pathetic. Normally he would've turned away ages ago, but he couldn't leave Cara. _He _did this to her, and he had to suck up the consequences. But besides himself, he found himself growing more angry every day with Damon and Caroline. Surely they had heard what had happened. Klaus had told them. And yet none of them had paid a visit to see what they could do to help. It was despicable.

The irony of the description in combination with the planned movie it all started with, made Kol lose it. He trashed the neighborhood, and found himself walking up to the Salvatore mansion. He didn't blame Caroline nearly as much as he blamed Damon. The son of a bitch claimed to love Cara. Clearly he didn't. The doppelgänger girl probably had something to do with it.

He swung open the door, not caring about knocking. Who would stop an Original? Who _could_ stop an Original?

'What the hell?' Damon roared as he saw Kol bursting in. He immediately shut his mouth when he saw Kol's face properly. He had never, ever, seen someone look so damaged. Whatever happened, it had snapped Kol like a twig. Damon wondered why the Original hadn't turned off his emotions. He seemed like the guy to do that.

'_What the hell_?' Kol hissed back. 'How dare you say that to me? _How dare you_!?' Kol roared. 'You didn't think to visit? You didn't think to drop by, see if you can snap her out of it?'

Damon looked confused. 'What are you talking about?'

Kol huffed. 'What am I talking about? I'm talking about Cara, you bloody idiot!'

Damon immediately tensed up. 'What about Cara?'

Kol was taken aback. Damon really had no clue. Elena must've kept his from him. The little bitch.

'She didn't tell you?' Kol smirked dangerously. 'Klaus did tell Elena all about it, you know. But, since she didn't feel up to telling you, let me,' Kol said sarcastically.

Kol cleared his throat. 'Story in a nutshell? I killed Jeremy, as you well know, in a fit of jealousy, and it resulted in Cara turning off her emotions. Sort of, anyway.'

'How can Cara turn off her emotions? She's human,' Damon asked, astounded. He didn't like to admit it, but Kol in this state, scared the shit out of him. The way he stood there, completely broken, but yet still so dangerous.

Kol launched into the story, bored. 'We've tried everything, but nothing works! We have to compel her several moments a day!'

'You're _compelling_ her?' Damon snarled at Kol. Kol's head snapped up to meet his eyes, where a single tear fell slowly. Damon raised his eyebrows.

'To compel, or to die? That's the question,' Kol paraphrased Shakespeare. 'Though it's not a hard one.'

Damon furrowed his brows. He didn't get a word of what the Original was saying.

Kol saw and sighed. 'She won't eat, or drink. Says she doesn't feel hungry or thirsty. Obviously she will die if she doesn't eat and drink. So we compel her to do so.'

All the anger seemed to wash away from Kol, and he sat himself down against the wall. 'It's all my fault, I know that, and I feel horrible about it. But I can't fix this, and it's killing me. Please tell me you have a solution?'

Kol had no idea why he was softening up to Damon, but right now, he couldn't find the strength anymore to keep his façade going.

Damon was just as shocked as Kol was. He decided not to push anything and to just go with it. He was doubting whether or not to tell him, but he decided he should do this for Cara. Screw his little brother. This time Cara was more important.

'Kol, you should go check upstairs,' Damon said. Kol looked up and didn't ask, he just raced up. Only then he heard a heartbeat. He followed it and slowly opened the door leading to it. He needed a moment to register what he was seeing.

'Jeremy?' Kol croaked.

The boy glared daggers back at him. Kol didn't blame him.

'Jeremy, I… I am so sorry, I never should have.. I…' Kol choked on his words. He truly felt guilty, and seeing Jeremy here, alive, human, was the best thing he had seen in days.

Jeremy cocked an eyebrow. The 1000 year old vampire didn't seem so dangerous anymore. He seemed like a normal kid. Suddenly Jeremy saw why Cara could like him. He wasn't all too different. He just had some emotional problems. He wouldn't forgive him, not just yet. He had heard what happened to Cara, and he wanted to go see her immediately, but Elena had Bonnie lock him in this room. He couldn't go anywhere, and his phone had been taken from him.

'Shut it,' Jeremy snapped. 'I don't need your apologies. You're Kol, you do these kind of things. Right now, that's not the most important thing. Can you get me out of here?'

Kol stared at the boy, and slowly started to put himself back together.

'Yeah… Ehm, I'll call a witch, give me a sec..'

Kol disappeared and Jeremy stared at the hallway. So close, yet so far away. He really hoped he could give Cara some sort of emotions back, or re-install the connection. He had only one other idea that could help her, and he didn't think she'd like it much.

Kol came back a few minutes later. 'My witch is blocking spells from this house, but she can't hold for long. I'd suggest you'd hurry.'

Jeremy didn't have to be told twice, he ran downstairs, Kol on his heels. He shouted a thank you to Damon, who nodded and raised his drink.

When the boys arrived at the house, Jeremy asked what Kol's plan was. Kol gave a bitter laugh.

'Plan? What plan? I don't have a plan. You're my plan. You're my last hope. I've given up. I've tried everything. My siblings have tried everything. She's just gone…'

Once again Jeremy had to admit Kol did love Cara, even though he showed it in all the wrong ways sometimes. He also knew she loved Kol back. He didn't know if Cara could ever forgive him, though. If him dead was enough to switch her humanity, he must have meant a whole deal to her.

He opened the door and walked in when he realized Kol wouldn't. He ignored the stares and gasps he was getting and walked into the hallway.

'Where is she?' Jeremy demanded.

Rebekah motioned to the stairs and Jeremy nodded. He ran up the stairs. He didn't know how much time he would have before Elena would come for him. He walked up to her room, and took a deep breath. He wasn't sure what he would find behind this door.

He slowly opened it, and walked in. Cara was sitting on the bed, seemingly staring at the wall. He walked up to her, and sat in front of her, blocking her view. Her eyes finally focused on him, and he saw that she recognized him. Nothing changed though. She just kept on staring.

'Cara! It's me, Jeremy! Please come back to us, we miss you,' Jeremy pleaded while shaking her lightly.

Cara just stared at him. Vaguely she registered he had died, and that he shouldn't be here right now, but she couldn't find the strength to care. Maybe she had died too. That would be nice. She wouldn't have to endure those attempts of Kol and the rest to get her emotions back anymore. She didn't want to turn them back on. Plus, she didn't know how to do that anyway.

She had tuned out Jeremy, but now she focused again. He looked defeated and he walked out. She felt the need to shrug.

'Kol,' Jeremy said, knowing full well the vampire could hear him. Kol flashed up in a matter of seconds.

'Did it work?' The hope in Kol's eyes just hurt too much. Jeremy shook his head.

'I'm sorry… She is in there, she just can't, or won't, come out. Maybe a bit of both.'

Kol eyed him closely. 'Go on, you have more to say, I can tell.'

'Don't get mad, I don't fancy dying again,' Jeremy snarled first.

'Fine, fine,' Kol rolled his eyes.

'She is in there. She can't get out. She's human, she is too weak.'

Kol quickly picked up on his words.

'You're saying she should be turned into a vampire? So that she _will _be strong enough?'

Jeremy nodded.

'But what if it is still too much and she turns them back off again?'

'I'm here. Why would she do that? Anger never is a reason to turn off your emotions.'

Kol eyed Jeremy.

'You are actually, voluntarily, suggesting to turn her?'

Jeremy shrugged. 'I don't like it, but I really think Cara can handle it. It might be the best for her. And it's not like we can really ask for her opinion right now.'

Kol nodded and thought this over. 'What do you think?'

His siblings all murmured their agreements, even if they were reluctant.

'Great,' Kol said. 'Let's go for it.'

Jeremy waited outside. He gave Kol the chance to do this his way. He had noticed the vampire looked tired, and he just didn't want to ruin this. They had agreed Kol would leave afterwards, taking his siblings with him, leaving Cara alone with Jeremy, so he could fill her in.

When Kol came out, he just gave Jeremy a nod, and made his way down. Jeremy heard them all leaving shortly after. He entered the room, and swallowed when he saw Cara's lifeless body.

He sat down next to her, and took her hand. Slowly he felt her coming back to life again. Funny how he didn't feel scared at all. He was convinced Cara wouldn't attack him. For some reason he was convinced she would be no ordinary vampire. She hadn't been an ordinary human either. He imagined she would just be Cara. Only difference would be her immortality. And her craving for blood.

When Cara gasped, Jeremy pulled her into a hug at once.

Cara thought she was going mad. All of the sounds, the smells… Jeremy! How could Jeremy be holding her? Did she die? She thought hard, and couldn't remember doing so. She felt again, that was for sure. She felt Jeremy's pulse and she pushed him away.

'I'm a vampire?'

Jeremy chuckled. Of course she wouldn't be asking how he could be here or anything.

'Yeah, you are. I'll explain all of it later. Right now, you just have to take a sip of my blood, or you will die. It's up to you,' Jeremy joked, holding out his wrist.

Cara stared at it. 'Ugh, gross. But if you say so.'

She looked around for something sharp. She found a knife, that laid next to an uneaten apple. She carefully cut into Jeremy's hand, and licked up a bit from his blood.

She swallowed it, feeling her body become real again. She was a vampire now. But the blood tasted disgusting all the same.

She shivered. Jeremy laughed. How she had missed that sound! She looked up at him, in those shining orbs of his, and she smiled, the question clear in her eyes. Jeremy held up his hands, and things fell into place for Cara. He had been wearing his ring. Of course. She could've known. She took a deep breath, and suddenly the anger started to take over.

'Where's Kol?'

* * *

Kol came back a little later than his siblings. He wanted Cara to feel happy before he came barging in. So when he walked in, he didn't expect to see his siblings looking so grim. He quickly scanned the situation, and saw that Elijah was holding a piece of paper. It was still sealed, but it was obvious enough.

'She left, Kol,' Elijah said softly, while handing him the paper. 'All of her stuff is gone. We don't know what the note says. It's only addressed to you.'

Kol just stared at his brother.

'We'll give you a moment,' Elijah said. He gave Kol a hug before walking away, Klaus and Rebekah following suit.

Kol walked up the stairs and into Cara's room, which was indeed empty. He opened the note and started reading.

'_Bury all your secrets in my skin  
Come away with innocence and leave me with my sins  
The air around me still feels like a cage  
And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again_

So if you love me let me go  
And run away before I know  
My heart is just too dark to care  
I can't destroy what isn't there 

_Deliver me into my fate  
If I'm alone I cannot hate  
I don't deserve to have you  
My smile was taken long ago  
If I can change I hope I never know_

_I still press your letters to my lips  
And cherish them in parts of me that savor every kiss  
I couldn't face a life without your lights  
But all of that was ripped apart when you refused to fight_

So save your breath, I will not care  
I think I made it very clear  
You couldn't hate enough to love  
Is that supposed to be enough?

I only wish you weren't my friend  
Then I could hurt you in the end  
I never claimed to be a saint  
My own was banished long ago  
It took the death of hope to let you go

So break yourself against my stones  
And spit your pity in my soul  
You never needed any help  
You sold me out to save yourself

And I won't listen to your shame  
You ran away, you're all the same  
Angels lie to keep control  
My love was punished long ago  
If you still care don't ever let me know'

Kol stared at the tear stained paper in his hands. He knew it was a song, but he was clever enough to know exactly what Cara meant with these words.

Cara had left the building.


	49. End of the Beginning

**I am expecting a lot of hate soon, but I just don't want you to worry, okay? You have my word on it. That's all I will say.**

**I want to thank my three reviewers, who left the most amazing reviews! Glad to hear you like what's happening!**

**One of you said it was unfair to Damon, and you hoped you would get to see a little scene between him and Elena. I can't give you that, I really can't write Elena well. I can give you the reason why she didn't tell him, though ;). She was scared, that if she told him about Cara's state, Damon would immediately realize why Jeremy was locked up. Elena was certain Damon would choose Cara over Jeremy, and she didn't want to put Jeremy in danger, by sending him back to his murderer.  
Hope I cleared that up for you, and that my explanation made sense ;)**

**So the story continues! It might be another while before I can update again after this one, and that is why I decided to give you another one this fast! Best case scenario: Another chapter is up before the week is over. Worst case scenario: The next chapter won't be up until the end of next week. So I am sorry!**

**Review me, and you might motivate me to write in my most tired times! hehehe. Not trying to be pushy.**

**I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**End of the Beginning**

Cara growled. She didn't want to wake up just yet. Unfortunately Jeremy didn't agree. The little brat.

'Idontwannawakeup,' Cara murmured. Jeremy only chuckled.

'I don't care. You're gonna wake up. We've been in this car for far too long now.'

Slowly Cara opened her eyes. It was pitch-black outside. She was awake immediately.

'Where the hell are we?'

Jeremy shrugged. 'No idea, I just kept driving on, and I just pulled up in this little town, since we are nearing dinner time.'

Cara gasped. 'We must have been in the car for hours! That's not healthy! You should've stopped earlier! Or at least you should have woken me up, so I could pay attention with you!'

Jeremy just looked at Cara with a sad look. He realized she looked horrible. She looked tired and pale. He decided not to tell her just yet.

'I tried to wake you up, you know…' Jeremy started. 'I just couldn't. You wouldn't wake up, you scared the hell out of me…'

Cara raised an eyebrow. As a vampire, shouldn't she, like, wake up at the smallest sound? It hadn't fully hit her just yet. She was a vampire right now. Or at least she was supposed to be one. Where was the bloodlust? Why did she still find blood disgusting? Why was she feeling so miserable?

She got out of the car and looked around if no one was looking. She grabbed a street lantern, and dented it without a problem. At least the strength was there.

She looked over to Jeremy, who had just gotten out of the car. She wasn't sure if he could see her very well, but she could see the worried look from where she was standing. She wondered what was troubling him. And why not try her speed in the process?

'Cara?' Jeremy's voice sounded loud and clear. She ran up to him, and nearly lost her balance.

Jeremy caught her in time, and held her up. Cara felt confused. She had no idea what was happening. This was not how she expected her transition to be like.

Jeremy sighed and held her tight. 'We should get you inside.'

Cara nodded weakly and walked into the hotel. She looked around. It was small, but nice enough. She suddenly whirled around, bumping into Jeremy once more.

'What is it?' Jeremy asked worried, with only a hint of a smile. Something was seriously wrong with him.

'We don't have money,' Cara whispered. And she wasn't sure how the compelling thing worked. Plus, she didn't want to know.

Jeremy chuckled softly and pulled out a credit card.

Cara eyed it closely.

'That's Elijah's! Why would you do that? Now they can track us!'

'Do you really think Elijah would tell Kol where we are without visiting first?'

Without waiting for an answer Jeremy walked up to the counter and asked for a room.. When the guy said only the bridal suite was still available, Jeremy flushed red. He looked over his shoulder to see Cara walking around the lobby, and he hoped she wasn't listening in.

'Well, I can only hope my girlfriend won't get the wrong idea,' he said nonchalantly. The guy, Kurt, laughed and handed him the keys.

'Enjoy your stay!'

Jeremy nodded and went back to the car to get their luggage. It wasn't much. Just enough to get through the night.

* * *

'Wow.' It was all Cara could think of to say when walking in to the room. She turned around to Jeremy and smirked. 'What did you have to say to get us this?'

Jeremy flushed again. 'It was the only room available,' he muttered.

Cara rolled her eyes and walked around the room. It was huge. It had a king-size bed, a sofa with table and huge TV. The bathroom that was attached to it had a shower and a bathtub, and obviously a toilet. There also were two chairs by the window, and she could see two chairs outside on the balcony. She could definitely get used to this.

'Cara?' Jeremy asked tentatively. Cara immediately turned around and raised a questioning eyebrow.

He sat himself down on the sofa and motioned for her to come and sit next to him.

'You need to feed.' He hadn't meant to blurt it out like that, but he had to tell her.

'Excuse me?'

'You haven't fed all day! All you took was that little sip this morning. I know that you hated it, but since you are a vampire now, it will be the only thing keeping you alive.'

Quickly he grabbed his pocketknife and sliced his hand open. Cara gasped.

'What are you doing!' she yelled. She wanted to get up and find a towel or something when the smell hit her. It still smelled gross, but she felt her face transforming and her fangs growing. It hurt extremely bad. She wouldn't recommend this to anyone.

Slowly she sat herself down again, cursing herself. She expected Jeremy to be scared, but when she listened in on his heartbeat, she only heard a steady beat.

'Cara, it's okay. Please just feed…'

Jeremy sounded so desperate, why she did not know, but his face made her give in. She moved closer and took up his hand. She punctured it with her fangs, drinking the blood in swallows, feeling better with every one. When she felt good enough she let go and immediately checked if Jeremy was okay.

He looked fine enough to her, but she couldn't tell for sure. He gave her a reassuring smile in return.

'Did it taste just as awful?' Jeremy asked while getting up to wash his hands. Cara looked so much better in an instant. She had to get used to this, and he was the only one to make sure she did. Not that he minded much.

'I don't know,' Cara started slowly. 'It seemed a little better. But still not pleasant. Not nearly.' She sighed. 'I do feel better now, so I guess I should thank you?'

Jeremy chuckled. 'No need to thank me! I'd do everything for you, you know that right?' He walked over to Cara and fell into the couch, never taking his eyes off of her.

Cara smiled shyly. 'I guess so.' She didn't know how to respond. All of her emotions were in overdrive, even the ones she didn't know she had. She used to be controlled by her love for Kol. That drove her, got her out of bed in the morning, but right now, that love was nowhere to be found. Instead she was overwhelmed with warm feelings for the boy sitting on the sofa. She just didn't know what kind of warm.

She got herself comfortable, by laying her head on Jeremy's lap, staring up at him looking down.

'You do realize we have to talk at some point, right?'

Cara shut her eyes and sighed. 'I know. I just don't want to. What's there to talk about?'

'Well… For starters, Kol is the love of your life and you just left him. Just like that, with only a song for a note.'

'I didn't leave him just like that, Jer. He killed you! How can I live in the same house with the guy who _killed _my best friend? If I would've stuck around I would've killed _him_!' Or at least tried, she thought. 'Plus, the song nailed it at every point. Perfect note.'

'He killed me, but I am still here! Or haven't you noticed?' Cara rolled her eyes. 'Plus not everything in that song was correct! He was capable of love. He loved you. There is no denying that!'

Cara scoffed.

'He had no idea about the ring, so he thought you'd be dead forever. And if he really was capable of love, he wouldn't have killed you in the first place! Ring or no ring!'

She sat up and turned to face Jeremy, legs crossed onto the sofa.

'He doesn't hate, you know. Not really. He is jealous, angry, and all of that consumes him at times, which makes him do stupid things like killing my best friends!' Cara took a deep breath. 'But, he doesn't hate. And if you cannot hate, you cannot truly love. You have to know the difference.'

'That may be so, but you didn't see him when he saw I was alive! He _does _love you Cara! And you love him back.' His voice cracked at the end and he cursed himself for it.

'No I don't,' Cara replied calmly. 'You probably know my emotions are on overdrive, and there is a lot there, but no loving feelings for Kol.' She wondered why Jeremy looked so hurt talking about this. Could he…? Would he…? No. No, no, no, _no._

'They might be gone now, but you know they will come back, Cara. You know you love him, deep down. Right now, you are just too angry. If you would run into him, and he would apologize all guilty and charming, you'd go right back to him.'

Cara raised an eyebrow. 'You really think that low of me?'

Jeremy closed his eyes. This was impossible. She belonged with Kol, he knew that. He also knew he shouldn't get into the middle of this. Hearing her say she didn't love Kol right now, was definitely not helping.

'Of course I don't think that low of you! It's just… If I believe anything else…' Jeremy opened his eyes and shook his head.

'Then what?' Cara asked, her heart in her throat. Sort of. She didn't know what she wanted him to only knew her, now dead, heart was beating like crazy. She felt like a twelve year old girl all over again.

Before Jeremy could reply, someone knocked on their door. Glad for the interruption, Jeremy basically ran to the door to open it.

'Why am I not surprised you're here?'

The voice drifted through the room, and Cara's head snapped up.


	50. Put a Ring On It

**Chapter 50! And it's a short one, I am so sorry! I just really wanted to give you SOMETHING before it would (probably) take another while..**

**Thanks for all the favorites/follows! I really appreciate it! Would love it if all of you would let me know what you think :D**

**So yeah, this chapter might not be the best one, but I am extremely tired, and this is truly for all of you! The support I feel is great, and I just needed to give you something ;)**

**But, a little note. I'm surprised no one mentioned it.. Cara should've burnt to a crisp in that car. So, let's just pretend Damon's car has the same glass as Slater's cafe had, okay :)? -They used his car to get away-**

**I will try to make the next chapter longer, but I can't promise anything ;) I hope you will enjoy it anyway :)**

**OHOH. I couldn't contain myself. I bought a Nathaniel Buzolic meeting room for the Brussels conventions next year. Yeah, I'm weak. I know.  
I also would like you to know you can follow me on Twitter ( xCarmen) and on Instagram (MrsMusicAddict). Just for fun, haha!**

**hehehe, enjoy!**

* * *

**Put a Ring on it**

Elijah immediately felt the tension in the room. He wondered what was going on here, but he decided to let it go. He stepped into the room, and shut the door.

Cara just stared at Elijah. How did he find them so fast? It should have taken him hours to just get here. After finding out. This was nearly impossible.

Elijah caught the unspoken question and replied.

'I was in the neighborhood for some business, when I got a call, saying my credit card was being used.'

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. 'Why would they call you for that?'

Elijah chuckled. 'They always call when something unusual happens. I don't usually stay in hotels like this, and they decided it was worth to call me for. It was easy from there.'

'What business were you on?' Cara asked. She was still expecting for Kol to come burst in any second.

Elijah brought his hand to his jacket and plucked out a ring. He walked up to Cara and held it out to her.

'I figured you would need a ring, since you can't stay in Damon's car forever.'

Cara scoffed, but thanked him anyway. It would indeed be nice to be able to go outside, for real.

When Cara felt Elijah wasn't going to say anything else, she cleared her throat.

'First off, Jeremy, sit your ass back down! I don't bite!' Elijah snickered at her accidental pun, and Jeremy rolled his eyes, but sat himself down nonetheless.

'Second.. Elijah?' Elijah looked up, and sat himself down in one of the chairs, facing the other two.

'Yes?'

Cara took a deep breath, hands trembling. She felt Jeremy's hand covering them, to calm her down, and she gave a small smile.

'Did you tell Kol where we are?'

Elijah didn't miss the little moment, but decided not to point it out. He had a feeling he would see much more.

'No, I didn't. I supposed you did not want to see him. But if you do want to see him, I could give him a call?'

Cara shook her head violently.

'No, no, you were right. I don't want to see him. I'd probably try to kill him.'

'You'd try to kill a broken man?' Elijah asked seriously.

Cara raised an eyebrow.

'A broken man? Kol's a broken man?' When Elijah nodded, Cara continued. 'He can be broken into a million pieces, but that won't make me feel sorry for him. He brought it on himself, and he deserves it!'

Before Elijah could respond Jeremy cut in, and Elijah felt an amused smile creeping onto his face.

'Cara… You shouldn't be so hard on him…'

'Stop defending him!' Cara yelled while throwing up her hands in frustration. 'How can you defend him?'

'Because you love him! And since I'm the best friend, it's my job to make you realize that before you get hurt too!' Elijah saw the way the boy was pleading with Cara. Elijah was surprised. He was sure the boy had feelings for Cara.

Then it hit him. The tension, the friendship that was so close, Jeremy trying to get Cara back with Kol… The boy wanted Cara to be happy, instead of getting hurt. He didn't want to get into the middle of it, and getting hurt himself. It was admirable. Elijah realized Jeremy's feelings must go deep.

Cara bristled and her nostrils flared.

'I do _not _love him! How many times do I have to tell you that!?'

Elijah's smile faded and he stared at Cara.

'I'm sorry, Elijah, I know it's your brother, and according to Jer here, I do still love Kol and I will run back to him when I get the chance,' Cara spat bitterly. 'But it's just not there. When I woke up and fed, obviously the emotions came rushing in, most of all the anger. When that calmed down, I realized the love was gone too.'

Elijah felt sorry for Jeremy. He knew he should be feeling sorry for Kol, but his little brother screwed up big time. Hearing Cara say these things must be hard on the boy, and his admiration for the boy grew.

He noticed the flashes of hurt on Jeremy's face before Jeremy faced him.

'Elijah, we kind of have a problem. Cara finds the taste of blood disgusting.'

'Is that so?' Elijah asked slowly, turning his head to Cara, who shrugged.

'I could hardly wake her up when we got here, I had to force her to drink from me! She said it was a little better the second time, but still gross. That's not normal, is it?'

'No it's not,' Elijah started. 'Cara, is this true?'

Cara muffled back a yes. 'But don't worry! I will feed at least 3 times a day. I'll go fetch myself some blood bags or whatever.'

'Fine, but if you don't, I will know, and I will compel you to feed thrice a day,' Elijah warned. Kol might get over a romance, but not over Cara dying.

Cara rolled her eyes. 'Anything else, Elijah?'

Elijah restrained the urge to roll his eyes back at her. He eyed Jeremy, who looked miserable. He decided to help him a little bit, even if Jeremy wouldn't like it.

'What did I interrupt when I walked in? I mean, the tension was heavy, almost visible.'

Jeremy flushed and looked away, while Cara just remained silent. She sighed and cleared her throat when she realized Elijah wasn't leaving without an answer.

'Jeremy said he had to believe I would run back to Kol, he couldn't believe anything else. I asked him what would happen if he did. And then you interrupted before he could answer.'

Cara turned herself to Jeremy, who was clearly trying to disappear into the sofa. Elijah just hoped he wouldn't come up with some crappy lie. That wouldn't do him any good.

'But, I guess now is just as good of a time for an answer as any,' Cara said suggestively.

Jeremy was trying to come up with an answer. One that didn't involve him telling her he loved her. It would ruin everything. He glanced at Elijah, who was clearly nudging him to just say it. In the meantime, Cara just wouldn't shut up.

'Jeremy! You still there? What would happen if you believed anything else!?'

'If I would believe you really don't love Kol anymore right now, I would…' Jeremy's voice trailed off.

'You would _what_!?' Cara yelled at him.

'I'd believe I would actually stand a chance with you!' Jeremy burst out, getting up.

'I'd believe you might actually like me back,' he continued a little softer.

Elijah got up and left. His work here was done. They would need to work this out on their own. He needed to come up with a way to avoid telling Kol any of this.


End file.
